Partner

Someone "dared" me to start a comic this morning... four pages later I realised I had spent ... close to eight hours on it. Is why I like writing, it's so much quicker! *sighs*

And I didn't get anything more than this done... and now my brain is dead. So excuse me while I curl up in bed and sleep.

Read, Review and enjoy.




The black wall went up, the others filtered in. Mik looked over his shoulder at the partners, then turned back to the Sidhe. Essuan nattered at her brother incessantly and the others seemed disturbed by the fact that they were out numbered. Paw had practically fallen asleep on his shoulder.

When the wall went down, no one moved. The Sidhe stared at the people and the people stared at the Sidhe, wondering what to do. Mik sighed and detached Paw, stood up and motioned to Essuan and her brother. Essuan tugged her brother to Mik.

“Now. One of you, come over here,” Mik looked over the people and wondered if any of them would really do for this particular male and his particular… strangeness.

The brother seemed to sigh out and relax, but his stance was more threatening,

None of the people moved. Mik sighed. Then Paw sighed and stood, the Sidhe walked over to the people and stopped in front of one, then another and another. Finally he selected an older man and tugged him across the line, presenting him to the brother. A lip turned up in disgust and Paw snarled something at the brother.

The brother let out a huff as a small smile appeared on his face. He pointed out a small, young woman who was obviously not too pleased about being there. Her eyes were wide and her face pale, afraid of these creatures who stood before her. Her eyebrows met her hairline when Paw took her hand and tugged her across the line.

The male reached out and poked her ever so gently between the eyes, “poop.”

She looked startled. Mik and Paw burst into laughter. Paw explained, through his giggling, exactly what the male had done and soon all the Sidhe were snorting to themselves. The male looked not the least bit perturbed and poked her again, correctly saying ‘boop’ the second time.

Mik went into the Sidhe and pulled forward the girl with the violet eyes. He stood her beside the brother as Paw wandered the line of people. Paw pulled out the older woman he had acted aggressive towards earlier and pushed her towards the violet eyed girl.

The girl shrugged. Paw growled and she sighed. She booped the woman, but seemingly only because she had to. It was near an hour before the others were paired off, their choices not so easy to make. It appeared that none of the candidates were quite right and most of the Sidhe acted as if they were settling for something less.

Once the last was paired off, and each of the partners were distanced from each other, Mik raised his hands for everyone’s attention.

“Congratulations, you are now partners. I would like you to look at the being standing by you and introduce yourselves. I am Mik. I am Essuan. Say your name clearly and properly. Whatever you call yourself now, most especially if you screw it up, is what the Sidhe will from this point on call you by. Just as what they call themselves, you will call them. They understand you as much as you understand them. Possibly less, possibly a little more. There’s no way to tell for certain as they will not speak with you, if they can, unless they are comfortable with you. So. Introduce yourselves.”

Mik motioned to Essuan’s brother’s partner. She turned to the male and tapped her chest, over her heart and said, “I am Selt.”

The male’s head turned slightly to the side as he analysed everything she had just said, her tone and her body language, before he pointed at himself and said, “Hohilluasia.”

Mik stared at the male and Selt turned slightly red, not certain if he was joking or not.

“Hohi for short,” Paw murmured, before telling Hohi what he had just told them, adding on a long rambling bit which Mik hoped was an explanation as to why it was nearly impossible for people to say his real name.

Mik motioned to the violet eyed girl and her partner next, “you two.”

The woman pointed at herself, “Tuhn,” then motioned to the girl questioningly.

The girl folded her arms and looked away, glaring at the floor.

“Give it time, Tuhn, it just means that she doesn’t trust you. But she doesn’t trust any of us. Be kind, be gentle and she should come around, make certain that she feels safe,” Mik moved on to the next pair, “You two.”

The male with one eye was Osht, the one with his arm in a cast was Raoh and another Mik noted was a female who seemed protective of her belly. He wondered if she was pregnant but made no attempt to point it out to anyone. Her partner was nervous enough as it was.

Shortly after introductions were finished, Koln entered and asked the pairs to leave through the door. Mik and Paw waited until they were all gone before approaching Koln. Paw seemed oddly quiet, or perhaps just tired from his longish day.

“One looks to be-”

“Pregnant? I noticed that. Palt will tell us the truth of that. Might have lost the child, between wherever it was conceived and here though. That was some good work you did today.”

“Thank you, not bad for someone who wasn’t told about it until the last damned minute.”

“Er… we meant to. Just got distracted, caring for so many unpartnered Sidhe.”

“Mm.”

“Paw want go to museum,” The Sidhe set his head on Miks shoulder and yawned quietly, “Palt say museum have history. Paw want see.”

“Well… there is a certain day coming up when the museum closes. I’m certain we could arrange a tour for you and the others.”

“Considering the military owns the museum and all?” Mik muttered.

“Considering that.”

“Wait…” Mik glared at Koln, “the day coming up is the day Piho died. If my mother finds out that I skipped that to take someone to the museum, she’ll flay me alive.”

“Your mother is a sweet lady, wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“I’m not a fly! I’m her son!” Mik protested.

“Well you can sulk at home all day, watching the mourning ceremony while Paw goes out and has new experiences and makes friends with bones and wax statues, or you can suck it up and go have some fun.”

“Fun? You plan on unleashing a bunch of Sidhe in a museum and you think that’s fun?”

“Certainly. Considering the fact that I highly doubt Essuan will go. She’s going to need to sleep eventually.”

“Says Koln,” Paw muttered sleepily.

“Everything needs to sleep.”

“Not female Sidhe. Like crazy things that no need sleep or food. When preggers, even worse. Treat own mate meanly. Mate understand… but scary. Pregger ladies scary.”

“Can’t be that bad.”

“Paw mother threaten to tear out eyes of father if ever he suggest she get preggers again,” Paw responded in an even tone, “she try too, when he want ‘nother babe.”

“I… don’t know what to say about that,” Mik murmured.

“Say Mik take Paw home now. Paw tired,” Paw sighed out.



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