Chapter 37: A Secret By Any Other Name

******* Gils

It had been quite a while since he left to get Maxical's dinner, Gils opened the door to the bathing area quietly in case Maxical had gone to sleep. She was sitting up on her mat wringing her tail where he'd grabbed it earlier. As if sensing his presence she turned her head toward him and dropped her tail abruptly.

"The Merchants had already stopped serving dinner. Sorry it took so long, are you starving?"

"A little. You didn't get this at the Feed Bag did you?"

"No, my ears are still ringing from the last time I made that mistake. Your mouth ran on about it for…OW! Now that is taking advantage, I can't throw it back with you injured! Why is that bandage so…big?"

"Owyn did a breast reduction on me while he was there." Maxical pointed to the crisscrossed bandage.

"You should have had him do a butt reduction instead, at least there would be something to reduce…OW! Throw that one more time and the truce is off."

"You threaten that all the time, you have to change your threats around if you want me to fear them. I'll quit if you let me see your book again."

"Forget it. I'll be back, I need to take care of something."

"Geez, Owyn said you did that before you left."

"What would he tell you that for? Is he drunk?"

"A little."

"Anyway, it's not that."

"Oh. Sorry."

Owyn sidled up to the corner Gils was standing in and stared bug-eyed at the side of his face. "What the hell are you doing? Didn't you just do that right before you left?"

Gils stopped what he was doing. "Yeah, thanks for telling Maxical about it. Do you mind? You ain't helping me here."

"What are you, taking vitamins or something?" Owyn asked without budging.

"I'm trying to stick by the truce. Go on now, you ain't helping things here."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Without moving away, Owyn tipped his head back, staring at the ceiling and scratching the side of his temple. "I remember being on a truce once…years ago…I was younger then…"

Gils gaped at Owyn. "Just forget it, you've killed the mood now. What was wrong with her shoulder?"

"It was Agronak all right."

"Tell me something I don't know, will ya? She's usually pathologic about blabbing everything she knows, but she's clammed up about this."

"She's dumb, but even she knows you always side with…hic…Agronak."

"Yeah, well you and Andronicus drilled that into her head."

"Someone needed to warn her. She's idiot enough to fall for your bull [cens…hic…ored]. …I learned a secret about her the other day…"

"A secret? What?"

"I'm not telling you…hic."

"Well why'd you…say, your brandy is empty, I'll get mine for you…"

"Forget it! …Er, not the brandy though, I'll take that." Owyn grinned like a possum before draining his bottle and handing it to Gils. "You ain't doin' her like you did S'Jirra…"

"S'Jirra! That was twenty years ago! Why'r you bringing her up?" Gils handed a full bottle of brandy to Owyn. "You have to share this with me, you know. So, tell me about this secret…"

Owyn tipped the bottle up while Gils got two glasses. "Forget it…hic…I'm not telling. Did you challenge Agronak for hurting Maxical?"

"…No."

"Then you ain't changed a bit. Ysabel…we been split thirty years. I'd still kill anyone that hurt her. Women need a man that'll protect them, not just a smile in the sack."

"Someone smiling in your sack recently Owyn? Now about this secret…"

"Hey! Hic…huh? What were we talking about?"

"You were in the middle of telling me a secret about Maxical…"

"Fat chance Gils. Hic. I noticed you didn't teach Maxical those moves you taught Agronak. He promisss…hic…ed to teach her them if she went to Anvil for him. I don't want him near her."

"I'll teach her all of them. I'm going too if she goes, and she can't leave the Bloodworks without you or me with her…Aggie may kidnap her. So…you were telling me about Maxical…"

"He's a nutcase, and getting worse all the time."

"He just lost his mother, Owyn. Last time he got this bad was when my father died."

"He killed his mother, he's insane Gils."

"Owyn, you can't possibly believe that."

"Can't I? She was green! I knew it was poison before finding out about the empty poison bottle in her bed. Agronak was there with her that night. You need to open your eyes Gils."

"Suicide?"

"It wasn't suicide Gils, she couldn't have finished that bottle. Maybe he's been doing it all along, there's gotta be some reason why healers could never cure her."

Gils froze as images of green pallor tainting his father's face during his last months flashed through his mind. "I can't have this conversation Owyn."

"Gils, I know it's hard to face, but you have to. He's dangerous. You should have seen Maxical's shoulder. Why the hell didn't you stop him?"

"I couldn't get there in time. He was following her to finish the job when I jumped him."

"You shouldn't have let him near her, he needs to be locked away."

"I had no choice, it was his turn. I tried to talk him out of…"

"His turn? You don't game on someone you care for! You say 'not this one' and put 'em down with your fist till they listen. I would have put the Emperor down over Ysabel."

Gils filled Owyn's glass absentmindedly and set the brandy bottle down on the cabinet. Owyn downed the glass and then grabbed the bottle, tipping it up before refilling his glass.

"And another thing, Khajiit aren't like…hic…humans. Start one and they're bound to you for life. She's not…hic…started yet, so stay away from her. You won't stick with her…you'll screw it up for her with Fathis Aren if you touch her."

"He broke with her when Aggie gave her that ring."

"Is that why you gamed on her? To get rid of Fathis? Man, you're a real piece of work, you know that? Damn Gils, you and Ag…hic…anak deserve…er…what was I saying?"

"You were telling me about a secret…"

"What, his problem?" Owyn pointed downward. "What the hell does it matter if he can't?" Owyn made a sloppy hole with the fingers of one hand and tried to run a finger from the other hand through the hole but kept missing. "I can't do it right now…but you get the idea…what was I saying? Oh yeah. He's crazy! You let that nutty Orc…hic…game on her. That's as low as you can get."

"You know about Agronak?"

"You think I'm as dumb as him? I know everything that goes on 'round here…or doesn't…hic…in his case."

Gils shook his head as if to clear it.

"Owyn, Maxical sent that deed back to Aggie. He was outside the door when I left to get her dinner. That's what took so long, I didn't leave till I was sure he was gone. Make sure she doesn't go out alone."

"Hic! He'll be in jail…soon as Jack files assault charges…hic…Maxical's shoulder."

"…Why would Jack file them?" Gils voice reflected surprise.

"Why, did you think you could sweet talk her out of filing charges?" Owyn's voice raised to a bellow on his last words.

His face infused purple as he slammed his fist down on the cabinet and then pointed a shaking finger in Gils' face. "I'm this close to throwing you out of here, just let me see you take that Orc's side in this. You ain't learned a thing in twenty years! You stay the hell away from her with your love [censored] bull [censored] [censored] you worthless piece of [censored] [censored]."

Gils went to an empty mat by the fount and slumped down, images of his fathers last days surfacing in his mind. Agronak visiting his sickbed nightly…just like he did with his mother…no. Agronak could never do those things. Owyn was just drunk and spouting.

"Gils? Are you okay?" Maxical's face peered down into his.

"Some things Owyn said are bothering me. Come on, lets go to the bathing room."

******* Maxical

Gils was laying on his back staring at the ceiling, his eyes looked bleak and full of an inner turmoil. I had never seen him unhappy before. He got up quickly after I disturbed him, but his eyes reflected a mind that was still mulling the problem. I followed him to our mats in the bathing room and watched him slump down.

"What's wrong Gils? I've never seen you so upset, do you want to talk about it?"

Gils shook his head. "I need to stop thinking about it…or it'll drive me crazy. Talk to me about something else. How was your dinner? Did you eat the crab?"

"Dinner was fine. The crab was…good. But it made me feel funny, kind of like…a hunger."

Gils rolled over so he faced me and rested his head on his hand. "That's what the book said is supposed to happen. What were you doing with your tail when I brought your dinner in?"

"Nothing."

"Talk to me."

"Well…no one ever touched it but me before. It feels funny where you grabbed it. I was just trying to see why it didn't feel that way when I squeezed it like you did."

"A good feeling?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"Like how?"

"It's…pleasurable but…agonizing at the same time."

Gils sat up, the molten lava in his eyes glowing. "Do you know what that means?"

"No."

"It means Khajiit are not Orc."

"You mean because I am a mix?"

Gils gaped. "…How did you know that's what I meant?"

"I've worried about that a lot, especially since Fathis is so experienced."

"Worried about what?"

"Being like Agronak, you know. Geez, and I thought I was dumb."

"You're not dumb, you know. Just naïve. Now tell me what you're talking about."

"Everyone knows the offspring of an Orc mix…can't." I gave Owyn's graphic hand signal to demonstrate. "The technical term is asexual. I've always worried Khajiit mixes might be the same."

"…I can't believe I am hearing this! How could everyone know this about Orc mixes?"

"It's common knowledge, you can read it in texts in school. I learned about it at the Arcane."

"I wonder how many other people know about it?"

"Anyone who reads, goes to school…there are childhood rhymes about it." I glanced at Gils to see if he believed me.

"Rhymes?"

"Sure. Orc will even breed a duck, but their offspring cannot [censored]. There are tons of them. Andronicus and I heard a bunch of them when we were in the jail cell."

Gils stared hard at me.

"Then there are the usual 'How many Orc mixes does it take to screw a candle into a sconce' jokes."

"How many?"

"None, they can't screw. Then there are limericks:

The notes on racial phylogeny

say an Orc mix produces misogyny

though he'll have something dangling

it won't do no wrangling

nor anything else it oughta be"

"You mean all this time Agronak thought it was a secret, but really everyone knew about it?"

"Yep. I was probably the worst student at the Arcane, so if I know it everyone does. Besides, he has no male aura. Even someone as…naïve as me could tell that."

"What is that?"

"Gils, if anyone knows about that it is you. You exude it like Fathis does, like a torrent instead of just a faint sense."

"I am dreaming this conversation and will wake up soon." Gils collapsed onto his back on the mat.

"Okay, look. I know I'm dumb, but even I can pick up on this intangible scent or aura that men emit. Agronak doesn't emit any at all. I knew instantly when I met him even before I knew he was mixed. That's why I felt safe hanging out with him when I was promised to Fathis...and didn't hang out with you."

"So everyone knows."

"Every school child...everyone."

"Well there is a lifetime wasted helping him cover up."

"Pretty much."

"So, I put out torrents of it?"

"Yes. It is…distracting."

"Maxical, that reaction you had proves you have nothing to worry about."

"Whew! That makes me feel so much better!"

I turned away so Gils couldn't see what I was doing and looked at the end of my tail. All the fidgeting I had done tonight had worn patches of its fine fur away. It looked ratty with bald places, embarrassing.

"This truce has got to go and fast. Say Maxical, have you ever heard back from Fathis? Have you made up?"

"…No."

"What are you doing?" Gils sat up.

"Nothing." I dropped my tail.

"Look what you've done to your tail Maxical!" Gils eyed the bald spots. "What's going on with it?"

"I don't know, I think I need to see Hannibal."

"You want me to rub some wound balm on it?"

"NO! I don't think you should touch it again."

"You're right, I better not." Gils took my hand.

His eyes were intense, glowing. "Fathis will probably be at the music festival. If it is him you want then you better get him to start you. I've made no secret how I feel about you, and I'll be coming for you if he hasn't made his move by the time our truce ends."