Partner

For those of you who haven't noticed, Sequel is up. I realise that at the moment it has no bearing on Partners, I wanted you all to be able to turn it over in your minds. There is a lot of information to take in, really, and a bonus cookie will go to anyone who figures out how the ex-wife and her lover died before it's written.

Rel is almost opposite Mik, whereas Mik can't hide his anger, Rel can harbour the feeling a good long time, he's learned to keep his empotions to himself. My only issue with Rel is that he is a very intelligent man and me not being his level of intelligence, and knowning no one of that level, I worry that I won't be able to write him properly.

But I thought the same thing when I started this, what with the military stuff. I haven't heard much complaint about that though... so I'm going to say good on me.

*rubs face* this took over an hour and a half to write, even though I knew what I wanted to actually write. It shouldn't have taken more than half an hour. Ah, well.

Read, Review and Enjoy (and maybe peek at Sequel if you haven't already)




Mik had made no comment when he had been told to help move the sod, the upper most layer of grass. He had done as he was told when he was ordered to shift rocks about and to move seedlings to where his mother and the Sidhe participating in this little venture could easily reach. He had even fetched water when told to.

But when he was told to do something with his plot of dirt all he could do was sit and stare at it. He tried looking over at Paw’s plot but the creature covered the dirt with an arm as if protecting it from Mik’s gaze. So Mik was stuck staring at his plot, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do.

He didn’t know enough about plants to understand the concepts of what would and would not grow and he couldn’t understand why the plots were so far away from the old time tree.

He looked over the assortment of plants and picked up a small, spindly thing, turned it round in his hands and then set it down with a sigh. Mik looked over the assortment once more and selected another plant. Some kind of tree. He planted that in the center of the plot and chewed his bottom lip as he considered the plants that were left.

Mik sat back with a sigh and couldn’t decide what else to plant. If he planted flowers, they would only wilt. Spices wouldn’t have enough time to dig in the deep kinds of roots they needed to survive. Bulbs were always just… bulbs… with small roots out the bottom. So Mik selected a bulb that had a bright flower on the side that wasn’t a tulip and planted them around the tree, near the outside edges of his plot.

By the time he sat back, all of the Sidhe were watching him.

“What?” he said.

“Auh?” Paw murmured back to Mik with a poke, then a motion to Mik’s lips.

Mik decided to say nothing and assume Paw meant ‘auh’ meant what. Even though ‘auh’ also seemed to mean both yes and no a the same time, depending on the inflecting and tone of the word.

All of the Sidhe turned back to their plots as one. Paw patted a bit of soil, then sat back and looked about as if wondering what to do. Mik let out a weary sound. The man shifted from his plot to Paw’s and leaned his head against the Sidhe’s shoulder. A hand patted Mik’s knee and Paw sighed out.

“Hey.” Mik murmured.

“Mm?”

“Zoo-zoo around old time tree?”

“Mik sound more like Sidhe,” Paw gave the top of Mik’s head a kiss, “Can zoo-zoo ‘round old time tree. Is good for tree and for body and soul. But Sidhe with bad thoughts try not to let out emotion. Welling of emotion, press of bad stuff hurt tree. Always let emotion out.”

“And blood spilt?”

“Not always bad. But Souse tribe not one of that kind that need destruction to exist. This tree, it only have blood if Sidhe cut own self. Not if Sidhe cut ‘nother.”

“I think I understand that,” Mik murmured, “what about … that.”

He motioned towards his mother, humming along as she carefully made a line in the grass with a knife, to mark where the people were not supposed to go. It was a cheery tune that made her bob her head up and down as she worked the dull blade in and out of the ground.

Paw turned his head to the side as he watched the woman work, “Mik’s mother strange.”

“Sidhe don’t hum?”

“What?”

“Hum,” Mik hummed the tune to a song he knew, “like that.”

Paw’s head turned to the other side, “Sidhe make noise of that sort in necessary times.”

“Do you sing.”

Paw fought off what must have been a smile at a memory that he did not want to remember just then, “Sidhe do sing.”

“Sing?” Souse muttered, sounding concerned.

Paw gave his head a shake and wrapped his arms around Mik, “singing tribe thing.”

Souse relaxed visibly and sat back, letting out a long, weary sound, “Like that movie. Ehm. With the rat that is abandoned by his family and he was spoiled. He learns to live on his own and finds his family and is finally happy with his life. When all the characters start singing in the alleyway.”

“Cat was bad one there,” Paw sighed, “cats not bad.”

Mik could barely recall the movie and made a note to himself to watch it the next time he had a chance.

“So what do you think of her humming around your tree?”

“Our tree,” Souse corrected.

Paw shrugged, “plants like sound of voices. Birds sing because plants like sound. Mommy has nice voice. Plants will enjoy sound. So she hum. Maybe she sing.”

“Our tree,” Souse reinforced.

“Tree like, like the sound,” Paw murmured.

“Like, like?” Mik asked.

“Our. Tree,” Souse said, looking at Paw intently. When the smaller male did not respond, Souse repeated the phrase in Sidhe.

Paw ignored him, brushed his hands off on Mik’s pants and stood. The Sidhe wandered over to Mik’s mother and began attempting to imitated her tune as he helped her work.

Mik turned from Paw to Souse, “what…?”

“Paw is ignoring all ties to the tree. He all but pushes away the tribe.”

“He ignores the rules, why wasn’t he disciplined when he interrupted the dominance thing?”

“He is the father of the child, he had a right to step in,” Souse murmured, “You are part of my tribe, and yet despite not being Sidhe, you act more as part of us than he does. I wish for Paw to have a tribe.”

“His tribe is dead, Souse. He made that very clear. Perhaps he’s not ready to accept a new tribe into his heart, especially now, where he is and what he sees.”

“Most especially now he needs tribe. For what he sees. When the new Whisper is chosen, where will Paw be? Without a tribe… candidates who do not become Whisper go mad when they are left to their own. His children deserve to be taught by their tallue, they deserve to know the man who brought them to life.”

“Well…”

“If Paw is lost to the tribe, he is lost to you as well. Why he would make certain you are bound to the tribe before he removed himself from us is beyond me. He is interested in you, truly…” Souse shook his head.

“Stop drugging him, I know if it was me, I would be upset and distance myself.”

“Would you like to have nightmares once more?” Souse murmured, “because the nightmares would return, as surely as Paw sleeps when we dose him.”

“Give him that choice. The right to dream or not to dream, give it to him. He’s not like the rest of you, he can’t just accept that this is better for him or better for the tribe. He’s independent. He can function without you. Give him a reason to need you, not to push you away.”

“For a stupid person, you sure are full of wisdom,” Souse muttered, “if only you knew when you were not being wise in your actions.”

“Aw, but Souse, you know you love me all the more for my flaws.”

Souse made a sound that neither not quite an agreement and went off to speak to Essuan.


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