Partner

I understand the whole connection thing, the equality and all that jazz. But if Mik doesn't know the culture, he can't view it as equal. He can see it and go "I understand" but he can't actually understand without the effort of being put in his place, of learnign his position in the culture and learning how the different ranks interact.

The more Mik learns about the Sidhe society, the more he appreciates it. I'd like to refer to the last chapter where Mik walked in and Paw was laying on a counter, sleeping and Mik thought of the tree branch and though "best. Sleep. EVAH"

As Koln points out here, such things as bringing people to understand and respect Sidhe as equals will not happen over night.

Is my defense.

But I do highly enjoy those moments of clarity, like the night Paw made Mik cry, because Mik was upset that Paw wasn't happy with his behavior. Like when Mik was ready to kill all the people necessary to save the Sidhe.

The first part upset me. The last sentence made me giggle... yeah...

As I might update again tonight, you'll know pretty soon.

Read, Review and Enjoy.





“He’s how old?”

“Koln…”

“No. We start at the beginning with the questions,” Koln snapped at Mik, “He’s how old?”

“Forty-two, can we move on?” Mik snarled back.

“Alright… Souse is how old?”

“Seventy.”

“Wait. Wait. You had a forty year old virgin in your house?”

“Considering their lifespan I’d say that’s not as big a deal as with people,” Mik growled, “and before you ask, yes, he was the same height as me when we met and yes he is still growing. Now. Can we move on?”

Koln glared at Mik and picked up a file that was sitting to one side of his desk. He opened it and set it before Mik, “The only way to really poach Sidhe is to have bait. Bait has to be live, a squealing animal can work at times, but more often than not a Sidhe is needed and the Sidhe has to make sound. A lot of it. Adults don’t scream. They’ll bite their own tongues and bleed to death or take poachers with them.”

“So children?”

“They start with fingers and toes, bones that can be healed with northern technology. A child Sidhe is worth more than adults alive. An adult… hands are sold on the black market, skulls to occult villages, bones have provided a startling array of uses, including, disturbingly enough, the main piece of many computer chips that we import. The flesh is the northern version of bush meat, a delicacy.”

“Not much goes to waste… At least it’s not just the tusks…”

Koln frowned, not understanding for a moment, “oh. Elephants. Yes. It was easier to classify them protected. They couldn’t speak back, they couldn’t argue and scream and such. The people won’t support their own crying children, why would they support Sidhe? That’s the issue that we’re running into, Mik. No matter how we pitch it, the first rumours coming back to us is that people don’t care.”

“Declare war!”

“You and Galt both want to. But I have advised otherwise, as have Nort and Past. Too many bodies, Nort says and Past was the one, oddly enough, to point out that our weapons could just as well kill the Sidhe as they do the people. The Sidhe could be affected more so than the people because they have no protection. Unless there was a massive migration… we won’t be declaring war on them any time soon.”

“Over hunting will drive the people deeper into the woods, they’ll kill the old time trees. Then where will the Sidhe live? In apartments like lame house cats?”

“Mik…”

“Don’t use buts on me, Koln. They’ve killed so many and we are trying to save the Sidhe so why the hell aren’t we doing anything to save the Sidhe?”

Galt slipped into the room, a red file in his hand. He looked over Mik and Koln, startled, but sighed out and closed the door behind him. He handed the file to Koln and turned to Mik.

“I wanted to discuss this more thoroughly with Koln, but since you’re here, well. You might as well know.”

“Know what?”

“Shore leave,” Koln grunted, opening the file and glancing over the contents.

“Due already?” Mik muttered. Koln had taken time off just before the program had started, because he hadn’t been certain when he would have time to himself again.

“Not Koln, Mik. You.”

Mik frowned, “I’m not due for leave. I can’t leave now.”

“You need it,” Koln responded, “listen to yourself. I understand your sentiments. I understand that you are emotional. I wouldn’t ask you to keep yourself emotionally detached, gods know we don’t need you back at that place again. But you need time away.”

“I do not need time away.”

“This is not a Sidhe tribe, Mik, bellowing at me will do nothing,” Koln responded calmly, “Time away will give you time to think, time to clear your head. And I hope that by the time you return you will at least be calm enough for me to explain to you-” Mik tried to speak but Koln raised his voice over Mik’s, “that these things cannot and do not happen over night. Mik. There is a time and a place to make such an ambitious, political move.”

Mik huffed but there was a part of him that saw the logic in what Koln said and so he remained silent.

“A bit of leave will do you good.” Galt murmured, “and … it is a time to see what the Sidhe’s reaction to the lack of their partner will be. You and Paw are the closest pair, we are hoping this will show us the extreme of it.”

“Who will look after Paw when I’m gone? He forgets to eat all day and then he gorges on veggies until he makes himself sick. If he watches the soaps he gets upset and teary. The news station gives him nightmares.” Even saying that, he felt as if he was leaving something out. He sputtered along, trying to recall what it was.

“Edno. Edno will look after Paw. Souse is more than capable of taking care of Paw.”

“Whe…”

“Mik…”

He sighed at the warning tone, “so… when do I leave?”

“Tonight, Souse has already explained to Paw what is going on. Do you have anything to pack?”

“No. Where am I going to go? I don’t have a-” Galt set a ticket before Mik, on the desk, “home… I can’t afford that.”

“From the program. Take the time off, Mik, go see your mother.”

Mik swallowed, “So… I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Two weeks.”

“What? Two weeks? In two weeks he’ll be two inches taller and a million miles away. He’ll be bonded to Souse or Edno or both of them.”

“He won’t be bonded to someone else, Mik, you worry needlessly.”

“We’ve hardly known each other three weeks!”

Galt and Koln shared a look. Mik glared at both of them.

“Don’t do that. That is not proof that I need time away.”

“I think it is,” Koln murmured, “but not for the reason you’re thinking of. Go visit your mother. Air out your head. Get drunk. Something. Anything. So long as it doesn’t involve a Sidhe.”


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