Partner

Striving to answer a question without explaining it out of the story...

Of course they'll rationalise an explanation but it's nice to see Koln knocked off of his "I know all" stool.

*coughs*

Might be a day or so before I can update again.

Read, Review and enjoy.





As soon as they got home, Paw went to the entertainment center and pulled out the personal computer. Mik worried about the pages Paw pulled up, all about autism and mental disorders. He worried more about how quickly Paw ate through the pages, as if he could read faster than Mik could.

Mik slipped into the kitchen and brewed some tea, fetching some mint and something called chamomile that his mother had shown him. He brewed a cup for himself and a cup for Paw and added some honey to Paw’s cup.

He settled in the living room, on the couch beside Paw as he scrolled through pages and pages of information. Mik sipped his tea, each time Paw’s head twitched towards him, getting a whiff of the tea. Eventually Paw took the tea from Mik and drank it. Grinning at Mik before he handed back the empty cup and turned his full attention to the screen once more.

Mik sighed, understanding that he was going to be ignored until such a time as Paw got bored or satisfied his curiosity. He moved to the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge. His mother had taught him how to make a few salads, as Mik had told her that Paw was vegetarian, which was nearly true, while he was there and he was going to try his hand at it.

It wasn’t difficult really, toss some greens, chops some veggies. His mother had taught him a few specific ones and told him that he could add whatever he wanted to. Some veggies didn’t go so well with others, he understood that.

But he liked mushrooms and so he added them to the salad even though his mother had said that mushrooms didn’t really belong in the salad.

He was just browsing the fridge for something he could add to the salad that was … well he wasn’t certain what he was looking for, when a knock came at the door. Mik called for whoever it was to enter as he sighed and closed the fridge, giving up on whatever the hell it was he had been craving.

Koln walked in, with Essuan right behind him.

“Palt informed me of your … visit.”

Essuan looked at the salad, brushed past Mik and opened the fridge. She pulled out some cheese and a perfectly cooked chicken breast.

Which Mik hadn’t seen in the fridge. Since when did he have perfectly cooked meat in his fridge?

She expertly cut the chicken and crumbled the cheese over the salad before yanking open Mik’s utensil drawer and removing two forks. Essuan left the kitchen humming to herself, a little skip to her step and the salad in one hand, the forks in the other.

“You didn’t make that for yourself, did you?” Koln murmured to Mik.

“No. Has she said anything?”

“About the MRI. Mik. Not about Essuan.”

Mik sighed and sat leaned on the kitchen counter, “quite an imagination, Paw has.”

“Did you tell him what Sidhe bone is used for?” Koln hissed quietly.

“No…”

“Then how the hell did he know we used an MRI with a bone computer chip.”

“Wait… what? I thought you said computers. Computers have them. Not-”

“Most of our medical equipment?” Koln growled, “Suppose we’ll have to find something else to use. But you hadn’t told him?”

“No. Of course not,” Mik hissed back, “why would I tell him that? You think that is a good way … No. Just… why are you asking me over and over?”

“He said a Sidhe finger bone was used in the chip. So we pulled it out.”

Mik shrugged, “waste of a machine.”

“It was a finger bone. The flaw was right where he said it was.”

“Sound. Bouncing off of -”

“Mik. We understand. We thought of that. Of the sounds bouncing around and such on. No sound can get into the chip chamber. It is surrounded with sound proof glass. So… How?”

Paw came in, salad bowl in one hand, fork in his mouth and a sad look on his face, “Paw has ass-burgers.”

“What?” Mik said as Koln said, “Aspergers?”

“Wassat?”

“How you properly say what I think you meant to say,” Koln muttered, “and you do not.”

“Uhhuh, Paw does to. Metal box tells Paw so.”

Mik sighed, “Of all the …. A hypochondriac?”

Paw looked at Mik, puzzled. Mik crossed his arms and glared from Paw to Koln.

Koln sighed, “hysterical symptoms, more like. You read the symptoms and because of the need to relate to everything you see, to make it more you, you link up phantom symptoms to what you’re reading. You don’t have aspergers, nor do you have autism. It was likely a glitch, do to the thing you pointed out to us.”

“Ah… so… no autism?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Paw moved back to the living room.

The two men looked at each other, then sighed.

“New machine has been purchased, found it in time for the warranty though, so we didn’t lose too much money,” Koln muttered, “Can you talk him into taking another MRI?”

“Sure. Why not,” Mik shrugged again and moved back to the fridge, looking for something to eat, “but where will Paw be without his Northern, smaller continent cousin?”

“…what?” Koln’s voice sounded almost strangled.

Mik pulled out a juice and opened it as he turned back to Koln, “What, no cameras in there? Paw was going on about this Kolvash or some such from the Northern region of some name I’ve never heard who was smaller than him and lived … rougher terrain or something. I swear I almost saw the guy as he described it, even though it was so few words.”

“How… exactly did Paw know where the chip had come from? It’s not carved on the chip.”

Mik shrugged, “lucky guess. Obviously.” he moved into the living room, where Essuan was wrapped around Paw and Paw was flicking through web page after web page, explaining all manner of medical facts to the female.

Koln slipped into the living room behind Mik, “Paw…”

“Mm,” Paw looked over his shoulder at Koln.

“How did you know… where … the MRI was built?”

“Kahvoshi told Paw.”

“Ah. So Paw… where is Kahvoshi from again?”

“Eh? Finfohs.”

“And you told Mik this?”

“Noes. Kahvoshi tells Paw, Paw tells Mik smaller, northern continent,” Paw looked puzzled.

“Meh, can’t expect me to be right all the time,” Mik muttered.

“Ah. And… where exactly was the machine made?”

“Part in Sesut. Part in Galtor. Kahvoshi added to flat green thing in To… To…Toman. Green thing put in machine at port. Cross ocean on beast called Illua Trade Inc and land in Port Meu. Peoples come and pokes and pokes machine and one poke place to make it bad machine. Machine pulled up and up and into building and room built ‘round it.”

“Could have gotten the information anywhere,” Mik muttered.

“Port Meu isn’t on any map, Mik,” Koln said quietly, “it’s a military base that’s worked underground.”

“Huh. One of your own men broke the machine.”

“Paw… are you certain Kahvoshi told you?”

“Yes. Kahvoshi little finger, tip of bone, placed in chip. He’s old, old. Check with carbon dating! What’s carbon?”


.