Long Overdue Check Ups [Shiress]

[Shiress]

Shiress's body jolted when she was suddenly caught in a tight hold. Eyes flying wide, she spun, and her heart sank, seeing the very familiar visage of one very angry monk.

Shiress knew she was treading thin ice when going behind the man's back and doing precisely what he had warned her against, but constantly seeing the monk's distrusting, grumpy gaze always aimed her way was....tiring. A little sabbatical to The Redynn had seemed a safe enough escape, one Shiress deigned to undertake when Shade had been thoroughly distracted, like when he was sleeping. Now though she frowned at the man, not understanding a word he was saying, but nonetheless catching the irritation in his words, and realizing she should have thought better of it.

Shiress pulled free of the man's hold and scrubbed a hand down her pale face, shifting her weight to prop a hip against the counter's edge. Letting out a weary sigh, she squeezed a thumb and foreigner against the bridge of her nose.

Shiress didn't have to understand what the monk was saying to know he was, yet again, pissed at her. She could see it written all over the man's face. Dropping her hand, she glared at Shade, molars grinding as she waited to make sure he was finished before replying.

"I'm sorry. I should'nt have come, or at least, I should have told you first," she said, despite knowing he wouldn't understand her words.

The doctor could see that Shade was more scared than angry, but he was altogether more irritated than anything else. But just as Shiress had begun to feel bad for what she had done and genuinely remorseful for upsetting the monk, his body language and tone of voice let her know he was being unreasonable.

"I guess I'm the only one in Syka that isn't suffering from the effects of a petching curse," she mumbled, more to herself, "You know, I thought after the Tenday meeting, you would finally realize that I am not crazy! I can't sleep because I'm being attacked by my pitching dead slavemaster, and I can't eat because my food is full of animal pricks, human hands, eyeballs, and every nasty damned thing else-"

A voice behind her interrupted Shiress, and she turned to see Alric standing close, glaring at Shade. The man looked just as intimidating as Shade did at that moment, and it took the doctor an unfortunate length of time to find her voice.

"No...he's...no, not him," she said, placing a subtle hand on Shade's arm. She wondered how much Alric had heard before he spoke up, "He's not done anything, well...he hasn't...," glancing up at Shade, she sighed. This was just all too much.

"This is Shade, he's actually my...protector, or guard...he's looking out for me, and he was worried. He's an ass, but he hasn't touched me." she finished lamely, then let out an exasperated snort, "No, Alric, a ghost is attacking me in the middle of the night and putting cocks and eyeballs in my food, actually!"

She shook her head, "I'm cursed, you see, just like the rest of Syka, even Shade here. He speaks a different language every day. There's someone that can't be remembered, but I can't remember what their name is," Shiress straight up giggled at that, "another is growing fur and horns, while yet another is compulsively hugging people. a man is seeing unreal visions, and one that's addicted to everything...am I missing anything, Shade?" she shot a look at the monk, but didn't wait for him to answer before turning back to Alric.

"But my protector here," Shiress jerked a finger at Shade, "more than likely think's I need to get some rest and eat more, but what he doesn't know is that I would give both tits and his balls just to get a bell of peace!" she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, so tempted to add the bit about the forced search and self-harm accusations, but bit her tongue...so hard it bled.

"The bad thing is I can't tell him because he's cursed, too," she glanced back at Shade and sighed, "he wouldn't understand a word I said anyway."




Word Count - 731

[Shade]

Shade met the newcomer’s hard eyes. He had no quarrel with the man and he could tell by the way the man moved that Shiress had been patching him up. And even though his tone was light, even, Shade didn’t think the words were friendly. The Monk was Nykan born and bred though. Situations could be escalated and de-escalated quickly by what happened immediately upon first meeting someone. He very carefully and deliberately took a step away from Shiress, uncrossing his arms from where they lay folded across his chest. He splayed open a hand in front of Alric and fanned out his fingers in a gesture of ‘hold off’. He sighed, glanced between Shiress and the man, and shook his head, disgust on his face.

He then brought his other hand up, circled his ear in a universal sign of ‘crazy’ and backed away from both of them further. “Shiress.” He said, repeating the gesture. He wasn’t willing to bring a fight to what should have been Shiress’ former place of employment. However, if the woman wasn’t going to listen to him and stay where she could be watched, then didn’t that all but free his obligation to Hadrian to watch him? He was paying a debt to a debt to a debt at this point and the shyte was getting old.

Shade didn’t think the woman was crazy because she was haunted. He wasn’t daft. He’d seen her throw up good food and seen the specter do violence against her. However, there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He had no spiritist and he wasn’t actually sure the ghost was a real ghost. There was magic at work, deep dark magic that was of a kind he’d never experienced before. That’s why she was crazy. She was letting her child get out of her sight when such dark times were upon them and trusting perfect strangers to watch over them. No one knew Michaela Hess. No one knew the rest of the children she watched. They were as much strangers in Syka and Shiress and Shade were.

Gods? Was she talking again? The woman never ceased talking. And he pointed looked down at where her arm touched him when she laid a hand on his forearms. When she spoke again, glanced up at him, he narrowed his eyes. What he wanted to do was strangle the woman. She was making him crazy just being alive.

“Shadekas.” He corrected, when he heard Shiress say his name in what he guessed was a sort of “This asshole’s name is Shade.” type introduction. Oh gods.. .the woman was giggling now? She’d probably been drinking on the job…. No that couldn’t be right. Her drink would smell like blood or piss most likely. Poking fun at him them. Well, didn’t that just beat all.

Shade was starting to realize why Ian had no father around. The man had probably run for the hills dealing with her dramatics day in and day out. Sure, she was pretty and could be sweet. But that didn’t make up for her stubborn streak a mile long. He suspected at least one if not both of her parents were asses. If she ever full bodied laughed, he’d have laid every coin in his pocket on it being in the form of a bray.

He should just leave her here, go home, and find a new mother for Ian that wasn’t so stupid.

Sighing, he stepped forward, gently moving Shiress out of the way with a gentle bump of his hip on hers, and offered Alric his hand. “Shadekas.” He repeated, then reached out and used two casual fingers to point lightly at Alric’s chest with a quirked eyebrow. He was definitely asking a question of the ‘who the hell are you’ variety.

Words: 636

[Alric Lysane]

Alric listened as he continued to watch the other man carefully, though with less of a stony gaze now as it seemed the Shiress didn’t overly mind the man there, even if clearly there was a tension between them that was almost electric in nature. It reminded him of something and it took him a while to realise what it was, the interactions in his job – not necessarily the alluring seductions of the Associates, but more the feeling of things hanging in the air that were unsaid, or at least unresolved. It was a strangely familiar feeling that made him clear his throat and reassess the situation after a few moments, eyes switching between the two of them as Shiress spoke, explaining things, or at least some things.

His eyebrows rose at her talk of an attacking ghost though, that was a new one on him and a particularly vicious thing at that given the spectre’s identity. What the woman had had to go through did stir the empathy in him and his face softened in sympathy, even if he knew she wouldn’t perhaps want it, seeing it as pity rathe than what it was – genuine concern. She had healed Lys better than he could and for that she was owed some respect and concern. As she revealed the things about other’s curses, he made a mental note of them and nodded along quietly until she was finished. Afterwards he relaxed and pushed himself off of the wall, arms coming back down to his sides.

“I know,” he said quietly, musing upon the confirmations given to things he had already learned through letters, “Tazrae…the one who keeps being forgotten. I…knew her well apparently. This curse mischief is more than just Syka in its impact. I…well let’s just say life is cruel at the moment. I’m sorry…that you have to go through all of that. I’m not sure I can help, but I have been thinking upon it since I learned. Through letter actually…I wonder…have you tried writing to each other? No…No I suppose that wouldn’t work, just like with Moritz” he sighed, scratching his chin with a frustrated look.

“And Oralie sees a dark ghost following her…and all the rest of you, each with their own unique twist…I’m starting to wish I was there, even if I was cursed, at least then I wouldn’t be useless to you all” he trailed off as his attention was captured by Shade making his ‘crazy’ gesture clearly in reference to Shiress, to which he shook his head and made the same gesture, trying to mime a ‘tired and angry’ mime in response, though not sure he was any good at it – she was exhausted that much he knew, and she was clearly frustrated with the man before him, for whatever reasons.

“Not that I’d say that rest and things wouldn’t be good for you, though from what you’re saying it’d be difficult. I hate this season,” he sighed once more, this time more deeply and eyed the other man thoughtfully, “you know he may not have lost his memory, but being able to be understood, or understand…it doesn’t excuse if he is rude to you but I can imagine it to be…difficult. I learned the burden, and freedom, of knowledge…and communication of it. Perhaps when this is all over you may both feel differently about things, having suffered together. I know that I wish I could be there to watch over Tazrae, even if I’d forget her after parting ways, that much I have learned from my own writings, of this season and season’s past” he continued, the man approaching him and intoning his name before jabbing at Alric’s chest.

“Alric,” he said with a quizzical look, making a note of how he casually pushed Shiress aside with disapproval, “Shadekas” he said, pointing back and nodding as an idea struck him and he raised his hand, showing his mark and pointing at the man’s belt pouch.

“Eyris,” he said, then miming a reading motion as best he could, before pointing again at the pouch, “can read? See you?” he asked, not sure it’d not get lost in translation.

“I’m not sure he’ll understand Shiress, but I’m trying to tell him that I can read his items, anything not organic, to understand who he is. Well…kind of…it’s difficult. I suppose…well I suppose it doesn’t matter does it? Even if I could what would I do? He can’t understand me. And I doubt he’ll want to come and find me if he ever gets his Common back again, why would he?”

[Shiress]

The disgusted look Shade dropped to the hand that Shiress had touched him with had the doctor snatching it back and scrubbing it down the front of her apron as if she could scrub away whatever filth that had inadvertently transferred from her skin to Shade's arm. Shiress had thought that the monk's perpetual irritation and lessening tolerance for her had more recently been accompanied by abhorrence. By the way Shade had just regarded her unconscious touch, the doctor had been right, and of all the things the monk had said and done to her, this overt abhorrence for her hurt the most.

Tears sprung to Shiress's eyes, and she had to squeeze them shut to keep them from spilling down her cheeks. The gods knew the man couldn't tolerate her, and he sure as shyke couldn't tolerate her when she cried.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Shiress let out a long sigh and opened her eyes just in time to see Shade pantomime that she was crazy.

"Don't bother," Shiress said, motioning to Alric's hands as the man attempted to counter Shade's 'crazy' assertion, "Shade knows about my inability to sleep and the reason why," she shook her head, "he knows about all of it, but the man still thinks I'm crazy. Just another nail in the coffin of my dying will to share anything about myself or my past with anyone. Seems almost everyone that I share it with ultimately comes to the same conclusion, anyway."

"And, yeah, I hate this season, too," Shiress sighed, "I don't think he's being rude, not intentionally anyway. It's just that I told him...things and didn't have a chance to elaborate before he became cursed himself. He just doesn't understand-"

Shade hip-checked past her, effectively cutting off her words and sending a spark of concern shotting through her, causing her to straighten. Upon seeing that the monk was only trying to identify himself and not throat punch Alric, Shiress slumped back against the counter. Scrubbing a hand down her weary face, she watched idly as the two men tried to communicate. It wasn't until Alric said her name, startling her, that Shiress realized she had nearly fallen asleep standing up.

What the man said made little sense to the doctor, but she got the gist of what he wanted to do nonetheless and followed the guard's pointing finger to Shade's waist and the pouch secured to the man's belt. While Shade was preoccupied with trying to understand Alric's gestures, Shiress, having no more petches to give, moved quicker than her tired body should have been capable of and stepped in front of Shade, quickly wrapping the fingers of one hand around a necklace that rested over the monk's shirt as her other fell to the man's belt pouch and yanked at them simultaneously. Surprisingly, both items came away from their confinement pretty easily.

Something fell from Shade's pouch, making a soft tink when it fell to the floor by Shiress's foot. Bending, she picked up what looked like a charm for a necklace or bracelet. It was in the shape of a bow and was the color of bronze. Thinking it was something that had fallen out of Shade's pouch, she quickly dropped it back in and spun around, handing both the necklace and pouch to Alric before Shade had time to react. She then spun back around to face Shade, hands raised to hold off any objections. Just as her arm raised, however, a male's voice rang out from the direction of the closest examination room. Shiress looked over her shoulder in the direction of the voice in time to see a dark-skinned man emerge from the curtain close to where Shiress, Shade, and Alric were currently standing. He was tall and well built, with long hair so satiny black it looked almost blue -Shiress immediately wanted to run her fingers through the silky strands- and his eyes, both of them, were completely black with no hint of white or color. There were remnants of white paint across his eyes and nose, and, to Shiress, it looked to have been mixed with blood, and if the blood-stained bandage covering the man's forehead was any indication, the doctor had guessed right.

"He says his name is Alric and that he is marked by Eyris," the stranger intoned in Tawna, eyes locked on Shade as he strode closer, "he wishes to have an item you possess to do a reading."

The man paused several arm lengths away from the monk, smiled sheepishly, then bowed.

"I am Aadi, of the Suli clan," he straightened and studied Shade, "I could not help but overhear that you speak the language of my people, the Chaktawe, and thought to offer my assistance as an interpreter if you wish it." Aadi pointed to the bandage on his forehead, "I was foolish and roamed from my camp and had a bit of a clash with Eupharians. They are somewhat protective of their oases, no?" he smiled.

The stranger glanced over his shoulder to Shiress and Alric, then returned his attention to Shade and said, "The doctor told the man that you are her protector and that you had not harmed her. When this was not understood, and raised voices indicated a possible fight, I thought my assistance to be beneficial."

Aadi turned his attention to Shiress and Alric and repeated his introduction in common, but when the Chaktawe bowed, his body swayed dangerously. Shiress rushed forward, wrapped a hand around the man's waist, and guided him to a chair.

"My apologies," he said, situating himself down, his accent so thick it was hard for Shiress to understand, "I have not yet seen a healer but am told one is coming." he nodded his head toward Shade, then winced, regretting the movement, but added, "the man says he is concerned about a boy, Ian, yes? And that you need to rest and care for the boy instead of sneaking off."

Shiress turned heated cheeks toward Shade, but her words were for Aadi to interpret.

"Awww, and here I thought you had come to The Outpost out of concern for me," she shook her head, "Ian is fine, Shade." Turning slightly to the side Shiress called out for Beth, and when the nurse poked her head through the curtained doorway, she said, "Can you go and get Ian from the nursery, please, and bring him to me?"

Beth nodded and headed off in the direction of the nursery, and as the Chaktawe spoke to the monk, Shiress turned her gaze on Alric, gesturing toward Shade's items that the man still held in his hands.

"You better hurry and do your thing," she said, voice low and tired, "before Shade gets angrier and realizes I'm not worth his time and rushes off back to Syka."




Word count - 1106

[Shade]

The stranger’s stony gaze was getting on Shade’s nerves. He’d wasted most of his afternoon tracking the crazy woman down and now she had gathered some sort of champion in support of her remission of duties. That was fine by him. For all he cared, she could have been busy blowing the guy in the curtained off alcove they’d come from just moments before Shade had spotted Shiress. More and more he was affirming to himself that he’d been fed a line of bullshit and sent on a fools errand clear across the world to get him out of Nyka and out of the way of the movement he had been trying to subtly nudge along. And it was in this time that he’d had enough time and space from the stone city of monks to realize that Nyka was set in her ways and wouldn’t ever change. Syka though… Syka had promise and he was not actually unhappy he’d landed there.

What made him unhappy was the woman before him. She was a handful and a half, uncooperative and stubborn, and she treated him like an unpaid babysitter to the child she’d obviously had out of wedlock. Maybe that’s what she was doing here, getting full up with another one to make the cursed founders of Syka happy there were more children about. Shade, on the other hand, was going to be childless his entire life and happy about it. Let other people reproduce. They could sort out the mess of their lives children the children tended to make.

And why would Shiress need to be here anyhow? She seemed to say she worked or volunteered here, but he knew good and well the founders were paying her good money to play doctor to the children. And even now Randal was trying to put a clinic together for them all on his own when Shiress should have been supervising or at the very least helping him cut and measure wood to speed up the construction.

Shade sighed, turned his full attention on Alric, and saw before him another rough-dressed …. Damn the gods? Shiress had him wrapped around her finger as well as the man pushed off from the wall with a dramatic sigh and started muttering words that Shade took as comfort and pity. Shiress, of course, was eating it up. Didn’t the man know the woman brought most of her problems on herself? She charged straight into situations without looking before she leaped and was headstrong to a fault, with an attitude that no ex-slave in their right mind would ever have. She wasn’t humble or pious. If anything, she was the opposite.

The overly protective man rambled on in a foreign language completely excluding Shade from the conversation which caused Shade to lump him into the same category as Shiress. Didn’t like gather to like after all? Why was he here again? Never… ever… again. If Shiress vanished, she could stay good and gone. Syka had an orphanage so he knew where he could take little Ian if his mother decided not to return home in a timely fashion or got herself kidnapped, killed, or sold to slavery.

Ahh… so the man could return an introduction and his name was Alric. Interesting. Gods and a thief too? He wanted him to hand over his coin pouch? No, no and no…. which was about the time Shiress yanked his jewelry off his neck and relieved him of his belt pouch. What in the petch? Gods woman…. And rather than handing him the items back, she handed them to Alric. Shade didn’t hit women as a rule, but he was about ready to turn this particular one over his knee and give her ass a good blistering.

Just as he was about to give in to the latest dark urge the woman drew out of him, another stranger spoke up whom Shade could understand. Shade half turned, instinctively protective even though the shrew was being her usual disagreeable self. Then he caught sight of the man, offered him a nod, and grumbled. “Well met, Aadi of the Suli Clan. I’m Shadekas of Nyka, Monk and Jeweler.” He was nothing if not polite and well mannered. “I am not a Chaktawe, but I’ve been cursed to understand a different language every day until the curse is broken…. My normal tongue is common so forgive me if I am making your language sound foolish on my tongue.” He added.

He waited while the man spoke to Shiress, hopefully explaining what he’d said to her thoroughly. When he was done, Shade addressed Aadi again. “I thank you for your interpretation work. The woman is a skilled healer and if she is disinclined to take flight, she might just do right by your injury. Don’t tell her I said that. She’s a thorn in my ass and treats me like an overgrown babysitter.” He said with a grumble, then glanced at Alric and looked dismissively at Shiress.

“I’ve had just about enough of her antics. I think I’ll leave her to see to you since she insists on running off. Can you politely ask the man with her if he will return my items and I will be on my way? It is no business of his in getting a ‘reading’ or whatever that is off my items. They don’t belong to him and she had no right to take them forcefully. I’m very sorry all this is distracting anyone from seeing to your injury. You are obviously very kind to intervene here in hopes of sorting everything else out.” He added, then went to reach for his money pouch to pay for the man’s medical bill then grumbled to find it gone.

If Alric would hand over his purse and necklace with its various tags, he would leave this mess of a situation. And he would remind himself, repeatedly, that Shiress did not appreciate nor take consideration for other people’s time nor did she give a thought to leaving her son home alone when her life was obviously in jeopardy from the Ebonstryfe. If his things were returned, he’d leave the price of Aadi’s healing with the saner woman… Beth.

Words: 1041