Family Matters
Seamus sat hunched over in his chair. He didn't really know how he got back home, because halfway through the walk his mind started to remember the pain in his back and leg. Rubbing his temples, he glanced over towards his bed; he wanted nothing more then to sink into the piece of wood and sleep for a week. His head felt as if it had split in two, thanks to the whiskey, and he didn't think he would be able to go find the stash of the alchohal he kept in the second entry room. He had retrieved the bucket from the third entry room, for when Tasha woke up.
Said girl was tossing and turning in her sleep, on his bed. She whispered incoherent words under her breathe that Seamus could only roll his eyes at. He tried to concentrait on the small bowl of water infront of him instead of the girl in his bed. It proved to be impossible when she rolled right off of it.
"Wha... where am I?" a sleepy voice asked, as she woke up. "Tai? Matouye? Where are you guys? Chris?"
"Only me," Seamus muttered quietly. She must of heard, for she spun around quickly, only to groan. Seamus sighed and stood up. He wobbiled over to her, and pushed the bucket into her hands. She looked up at him, confused, before turning slightly green and folding over it. Seamus' hands worked on automatic as they pulled back the hair that had fallen from her braid, and rubbed her back soothingly.
Once Tasha had vomitted everything out of her empty stomach, she straighted herself up. Her face was pale and tired, and he could tell that her head hurt just as much as his did.
"Where am I?" she repeated, merky hazel eyes blinking at him.
"My little ghetto," Seamus explained. "I couldn't just leave you out on the street."
"How sweet of you," Tasha smiled at him warmly. "Your ever so charming, Charming!"
"Go back to sleep, Sleeping Beauty," Seamus snapped at her as he stood back up. She gawked at him. "What?"
"You know of the story of Sleeping Beauty!" she squealed, only to pounce on him. The motion made his vision blurr over for awhile, and he could only assume that the same happened to her.
"No, I don't," Seamus muttered, pushing her away. "Why would I know some useless wife's tale about someone sleeping?"
"You called me Sleeping Beauty," Tasha pointed out. "So you must know it."
"That's what Kiki calls me whenever I wake up in the tunnels," Seamus rolled his eyes again. "Would you let go of me now?" Tasha let go of him slowly, and sat back down. She stared up at him with wide eyes, still gummed up with sleep.
"Who's Kiki?" she asked innocently. Seamus groaned, and sat back down beside her. He fell onto his back, closing his eyes as he winched in pain.
"A girl I know," he said. "She helps me when I'm sick... usually." There was a few moments of silence, before Tasha hesitantly laid down beside him.
"Shay?"
"Yes?"
"Do you have any alchohal?" now that shocked him. It must of shone on his face, "it's an old trick my brother taught me. You put it on burns, and it helps take the pain out of it, and for it to heal over faster."
"Go through the door," Seamus answered her. "Be careful of wires and other traps, and then go through the door on the left. There should be some in the filing cabnet in the far corner."
Tasha didn't answer as she got up, but Seamus listened to her movements. Her footfalls were slow and calculated, and once or twice she stumbled. She deffinately wasn't a practiced drinker. After a few minutes, she stumbled back into the room, and managed to sit on the bed beside him.
"Roll over," she said. He complied, moving to his stomach, pillowing his head in his arms. She pushed up his shirt, and a second later poured the liquid on his back. Seamus winched again, but he had to admit that it helped, if only a little. Her cold hands danced over his old scars, trying to get as much of the booze on his skin without actually using too much of it. It didn't take too long. Once she was done she laid beside him again, resting her head on one of his elbows.
"Finished?" Seamus inquired, mostly just for conversation. He felt rather then saw when Tasha nodded. "Do you have any family?"
"No," she said. Her voice was small and scared, much like when he had first heard it. He decided he didn't like it that much... "Matouye, Tai and Chris where the closest things to little brothers that I had, and Kyle was my brother. They were all killed."
"No one else?" Seamus asked, no sympathy in his voice. He was empathic, yes, but she had been let off easy. "No cousins or aunts that I can leave you with?"
"No," she snuggled up closer to him, and he stiffened before trying to force himself to relax. "No family. I was really little when they all died; Kyle has been taking care of me ever since."
"Swell..." Seamus sighed. "Well... maybe Kiki will take you in."
"Can't I stay here?" Tasha asked. "I like it here."
"You've only been consious for ten minutes, maybe less. You can't like it here."
"Why not?"
"It's illogical."
"Not everything hasta be logical ya know," Seamus stiffened again when something wet flickered across his cheek, but he knew that Tasha had probably just blown him a strawberry.
"Everything in life is simple Mathematics and Equations," Seamus gritted out to her. "Therefore, everthing has a logical reason behind it."
"You've gotta learn to live," Tasha giggled slightly, and Seamus found himself grinning. Well, at least her chirpy tone of voice had returned... "Common, please let me stay?"
"And why should I?"
"Well... if you want a logical reason," Tasha stretched slightly, and drapped an arm over his back; again, he tensed. "Because I'm weak willed and if an Uber ever caught me and iterrogated me, I would be able to tell them when your home is."
"Not if I move you while your sleeping."
"Light sleeper."
"Knock you unconsious?
"Are you really that primitive?"
"Kill you?"
"You wouldn't," Tasha giggled, and Seamus turned his head to glare at her sharply. His icey gaze stopped her cheery sounds immediately, and she looked at him in fear. Fear that he he had seen countless times. Fear he had worn himself. Fear for Ubers. Fear for himself.
"Guess your right," Seamus sighed, and relaxed again. Tasha instantly smiled. "Only logical to keep you hear... but cause me any trouble and your dead."
"I'll be good," Tasha promised. "I'll be good..."
Seamus sat hunched over in his chair. He didn't really know how he got back home, because halfway through the walk his mind started to remember the pain in his back and leg. Rubbing his temples, he glanced over towards his bed; he wanted nothing more then to sink into the piece of wood and sleep for a week. His head felt as if it had split in two, thanks to the whiskey, and he didn't think he would be able to go find the stash of the alchohal he kept in the second entry room. He had retrieved the bucket from the third entry room, for when Tasha woke up.
Said girl was tossing and turning in her sleep, on his bed. She whispered incoherent words under her breathe that Seamus could only roll his eyes at. He tried to concentrait on the small bowl of water infront of him instead of the girl in his bed. It proved to be impossible when she rolled right off of it.
"Wha... where am I?" a sleepy voice asked, as she woke up. "Tai? Matouye? Where are you guys? Chris?"
"Only me," Seamus muttered quietly. She must of heard, for she spun around quickly, only to groan. Seamus sighed and stood up. He wobbiled over to her, and pushed the bucket into her hands. She looked up at him, confused, before turning slightly green and folding over it. Seamus' hands worked on automatic as they pulled back the hair that had fallen from her braid, and rubbed her back soothingly.
Once Tasha had vomitted everything out of her empty stomach, she straighted herself up. Her face was pale and tired, and he could tell that her head hurt just as much as his did.
"Where am I?" she repeated, merky hazel eyes blinking at him.
"My little ghetto," Seamus explained. "I couldn't just leave you out on the street."
"How sweet of you," Tasha smiled at him warmly. "Your ever so charming, Charming!"
"Go back to sleep, Sleeping Beauty," Seamus snapped at her as he stood back up. She gawked at him. "What?"
"You know of the story of Sleeping Beauty!" she squealed, only to pounce on him. The motion made his vision blurr over for awhile, and he could only assume that the same happened to her.
"No, I don't," Seamus muttered, pushing her away. "Why would I know some useless wife's tale about someone sleeping?"
"You called me Sleeping Beauty," Tasha pointed out. "So you must know it."
"That's what Kiki calls me whenever I wake up in the tunnels," Seamus rolled his eyes again. "Would you let go of me now?" Tasha let go of him slowly, and sat back down. She stared up at him with wide eyes, still gummed up with sleep.
"Who's Kiki?" she asked innocently. Seamus groaned, and sat back down beside her. He fell onto his back, closing his eyes as he winched in pain.
"A girl I know," he said. "She helps me when I'm sick... usually." There was a few moments of silence, before Tasha hesitantly laid down beside him.
"Shay?"
"Yes?"
"Do you have any alchohal?" now that shocked him. It must of shone on his face, "it's an old trick my brother taught me. You put it on burns, and it helps take the pain out of it, and for it to heal over faster."
"Go through the door," Seamus answered her. "Be careful of wires and other traps, and then go through the door on the left. There should be some in the filing cabnet in the far corner."
Tasha didn't answer as she got up, but Seamus listened to her movements. Her footfalls were slow and calculated, and once or twice she stumbled. She deffinately wasn't a practiced drinker. After a few minutes, she stumbled back into the room, and managed to sit on the bed beside him.
"Roll over," she said. He complied, moving to his stomach, pillowing his head in his arms. She pushed up his shirt, and a second later poured the liquid on his back. Seamus winched again, but he had to admit that it helped, if only a little. Her cold hands danced over his old scars, trying to get as much of the booze on his skin without actually using too much of it. It didn't take too long. Once she was done she laid beside him again, resting her head on one of his elbows.
"Finished?" Seamus inquired, mostly just for conversation. He felt rather then saw when Tasha nodded. "Do you have any family?"
"No," she said. Her voice was small and scared, much like when he had first heard it. He decided he didn't like it that much... "Matouye, Tai and Chris where the closest things to little brothers that I had, and Kyle was my brother. They were all killed."
"No one else?" Seamus asked, no sympathy in his voice. He was empathic, yes, but she had been let off easy. "No cousins or aunts that I can leave you with?"
"No," she snuggled up closer to him, and he stiffened before trying to force himself to relax. "No family. I was really little when they all died; Kyle has been taking care of me ever since."
"Swell..." Seamus sighed. "Well... maybe Kiki will take you in."
"Can't I stay here?" Tasha asked. "I like it here."
"You've only been consious for ten minutes, maybe less. You can't like it here."
"Why not?"
"It's illogical."
"Not everything hasta be logical ya know," Seamus stiffened again when something wet flickered across his cheek, but he knew that Tasha had probably just blown him a strawberry.
"Everything in life is simple Mathematics and Equations," Seamus gritted out to her. "Therefore, everthing has a logical reason behind it."
"You've gotta learn to live," Tasha giggled slightly, and Seamus found himself grinning. Well, at least her chirpy tone of voice had returned... "Common, please let me stay?"
"And why should I?"
"Well... if you want a logical reason," Tasha stretched slightly, and drapped an arm over his back; again, he tensed. "Because I'm weak willed and if an Uber ever caught me and iterrogated me, I would be able to tell them when your home is."
"Not if I move you while your sleeping."
"Light sleeper."
"Knock you unconsious?
"Are you really that primitive?"
"Kill you?"
"You wouldn't," Tasha giggled, and Seamus turned his head to glare at her sharply. His icey gaze stopped her cheery sounds immediately, and she looked at him in fear. Fear that he he had seen countless times. Fear he had worn himself. Fear for Ubers. Fear for himself.
"Guess your right," Seamus sighed, and relaxed again. Tasha instantly smiled. "Only logical to keep you hear... but cause me any trouble and your dead."
"I'll be good," Tasha promised. "I'll be good..."