Partner

The "quotes" are from various chapters. Please don't ask me from which ones. I had to type Whisper into my processor and make the poor thing find all mentionings of the word because I couldn't find the chapters. Still can't. Which is... insane.

I recall one chapter where Paw told Mik that Whisper is replaced by someone who comes to power when Whisper dies, and that this person knows he (or she) is Whisper upon Whisper's death because Whisper's last act is to tell this person.

But I don't know where.

Bonus cookie for whoever finds that.

I have no idea how many updates there will be tonight. I'll be up for another hour and a half for a movie and who knows how fast the words will come or such on. I know it hasn't been the best quality recently but... well it happens when you're tired.

Yeah.

Yes it is a rank, and it is because, essentially, the best of leaders can only come from the lowest of places, having known what it is like to be the lowest rank. Or. Soemthing of that sort. But the rank is real and yet at the same time, if the person is part of a pair, then the mate or other half is counted as the highest ranking person, below only Whisper. This is to protect the candidate from crazies while subjecting the candidate to the kind of life that he (or she) will have to subject others to.

I'd like you all to throw out some questions that I have to answer via story. Because I find those the most amount of fun to do. I start going "I'll write my post" and it just comes out and it works.

Anywho. I should write otherwise stuff rather than introduction stuff.

Read, review and enjoy.




Back in the apartment, they had a few minutes to themselves. Paw pushed Mik against the wall and kissed him demandingly. Mik reacted, wrapping his arms around Paw as a shudder ran through the Sidhe. Lips, throat, jaw, down to the collar bone and a caress to Paw’s back. Mik was more than ready, more than willing, to take Paw to bed and have his way with the Sidhe.

Or to let Paw have his way…

But Souse walked in, slammed the door and stood, waiting as Mik and, reluctantly, Paw turned to him. Paw cringed, cowered, trembled as he pushed himself between Mik and the wall and buried his face into the crook of Mik’s neck.

Souse spoke in Sidhe, verbally with hand motions. Paw peaked over Mik’s shoulder only after Souse growled at him. The tone was stern but not really threatening, the hand motions seemed to imply barely restrained violence. When Souse finished speaking, he leaned against the counter, his blue eyes flickering to Mik.

“You didn’t understand any of that, did you?” Souse snapped at Mik as if it was his own fault.”

“No.”

“Idiots,” Souse snapped, bending his face away from Mik and toward the floor, eyes turning even further away.

Paw let out a frightened, high pitched chatter. Souse snarled back at him, turning to face Paw full on, angry and annoyed, the leader took a step towards Paw. Mik stepped between the two, ready to stop Souse.

The leader backed away, lip turning up in a snarl, but he looked away, hunched his shoulders.

Souse was giving dominance to Mik…

Over the situation, or in general? Because of something…

Jay.

Jay hadn’t … ‘kissed’ any other Sidhe. What the hell was going on with the Sidhe?

“Souse, stop looking away, you’re confusing me.”

Souse met Mik’s eyes for a moment, then looked down at Mik’s feet, “I apologise.”

“Stop apologising. What’s going on?”

The leader shook his head, turned away from Mik, “mint tea should calm his nightmares.”

“No!”

Souse turned back to hiss at Paw, advanced on the smaller Sidhe as Mik stepped out of the way.

It was just an experiment.

The leader slammed Paw against the wall, then placed a hand on either side of Paw’s head as he snarled something in Sidhe, leaning in close, so close that Mik worried for a moment that Souse might kiss Paw. Paw tried to bat at Souse and the leader grabbed Paw’s hand and pressed it against the wall while closing the small distance between himself and Paw.

“That’s enough,” Mik touched a hand to Souse’s shoulder, “Souse. I doubt you make things easier or better in any manner. Why don’t you show me how to make the tea.”

“Paw don’t need tea.” Paw protested.

Souse grunted and went to the cupboard, digging through Mik’s spices until he found the dried mint. In a little bottle that had had its label peeled off… Paw must have dried it. Or Essuan had and then supplied all the Sidhe with it.

While the water boiled, Souse tried to look at everything and anything but Mik.

Both Sidhe frowned and looked at one another.

“What?”

“Cameras just turned off,” Souse muttered, his frown deepening, “did you tell them about that night?”

“No.”

“Huh.”

“Since they’re off…” Mik started.

Souse sighed, “You have found yourself in a unique position of power. Mik. Paw … has taken on a position to which there are no words in your language for… and this makes you, being his… mate… a rank above me.”

“How in the hells?” Mik was more startled by Souse’s look than his words, “You’re joking. Right?”

“No.”

“But that would mean that Paw-”

The leader sighed again and made several hand motions, “has less of a rank than he did before.”

“That doesn’t make any kind of sense.”

“Well… to you, through your… no.”

“And there are no words to describe it?”

“No.”

“Yes,” Paw leaped over the counter as if it were half the height and shouldered Souse out of the way, “but it doesn’t matter.”

“Why not?”

“Because it means nothing.”

“It means.”

Paw let out a hissing, growling sound that had several clicks in it. Mik backed away from Paw, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Souse shifted his stance, but didn’t move away, he stood his ground against Paw.

“Paw…” Mik managed, surprised that he didn’t sound like he was being strangled, “explain.”

The smaller Sidhe wilted and pulled several mugs out of the cupboard as the water began boiling. Souse poured the water over the carefully measured mint and ignored Paw as carefully as he could as he picked up all three mugs and moved to the kitchen table. Paw shuffled after him.

Mik followed, figuring someone would tell him something.

Damn it.

Sitting at the table, Souse watched Paw intently until Paw picked up his mug and sipped the steaming liquid. Mik glanced at his own mug and decided that he didn’t want to burn his tongue.

“Well?”

Souse played with his mug, “has Paw told you of Whisper?”

“Yes. Of course.”

The leader took a breath and let it out slowly, “when Whisper dies, one takes his place. There are many of these ones throughout the lands.”

“How many is many?”

Souse shrugged, “Five. Maybe. If one dies, then there are still four others to replace him.”

“And… this has to do with Paw how?”

“He is one of those ones.”

Know what?

Whisper long time power.

“And… if this is true, why is this only coming out now, why would you not know that he was what he was, before now?”

Souse shrugged, “Whisper did not present himself until the previous Whisper died.”

“And …”

Hadn’t Paw said something about if the Whisper died, they would all know?

“Whisper is still alive,” Souse sipped his tea.

“So being a candidate, Paw has no rank and this was not explainable before because…”

Souse rubbed his hands over his face as a drunk man does when the drink has numbed his limbs, “Cameras were on. Want people to know one such as Paw, for which there is no word in your language to name his rank, so that they might kill the others and then take Whisper’s power for themselves? No.”

Mik shrugged, “I supposed you have a …” he glanced at Paw and frowned at the Sidhe’s closed eyes.

Paw was fast asleep, an arm curled under his head. Souse grunted and stood from the table, “mint and ginger. Not… good. I leave now. Affore… ohhhh whys did she make it that way?” Souse stumbled towards the door.

“Souse, can you make it home?”

“Yeshhhhh,” Souse opened the door on the first try, “maybes tomorrow night yous use less of that. Yeah? Okay. Souse goes now.”

Mik sighed as the door closed. He tugged Paw to his feet and draped the Sidhe over his shoulder before making his way to the bedroom. Dropped Paw into the bed and took the time to change before climbing under the covers and doing his best to tuck them around Paw as well.

Paw twitched in his sleep.

Whisper know all, see all.

What if Paw wasn’t just a candidate? What if that dream hadn’t been a dream?

Don’t come again.

Mik curled around Paw, wrapped an arm around the Sidhe’s chest and tried to banish his own fear.

Even he was afraid of the dark.


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