Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 8
I was walking Jack in the back garden. It was his afternoon walk, one that both he and I enjoyed. Frankly, any excuse to escape the dullness and routine of the mansion was a good one. Outside was better than inside, and the edge of the property was better than the middle. When you were at the edge, you were that much closer to the rest of the world, and I dearly wanted to have some kind of connection to the outside world.
Help, help, please help me, I'm being held captive by the ruler of the world, I've fallen and I can't get up -
"Ms. Po. You know you're not permitted to be there. Please step back."
I stiffened at the sound of that gravely voice, but didn't turn around. Oh, gods. The Nursery Guard Dog was on the attack.
"Now, Forester, you can certainly see that Jack's doing his business. Once he's finished, we'll leave this terribly unsecure area of twigs and leaves and walk to a more secure area of twigs and leaves. Will that be satisfactory?"
He grunted. "Yes, Ms. Po."
I turned my head a little, rolling my eyes. "Waiting with us, are you?"
"Yes, Ms. Po."
"It's good to be so ... protected, Forester. The General will be pleased that you perform your duties with so much zeal."
"Yes, Ms. Po."
Damned zealots, that's what they all were. Jack hopped around my feet, a little ball of fluff and energy, ready to run and play.
"Okay, Jack," I sighed. "Come on. Let's go over this way. Special Forester will feel MUCH better if we're three meters east of this position, won't you, Forester?"
"Yes, Ms. Po. I was also instructed to tell you that dinner would be served in thirty minutes. The General requests the pleasure of your presence at the table tonight."
Oh, feh. "Thank you Forester. We'll be in."
The General's pleasure was not something I cared about; in fact, I felt pretty surly as I trudged back toward the mansion with Jack in tow. The afternoon sunlight slanted though the trees, sparkling over leaves and bushes, turning the edges of the foliage to warm summer gold. It looked lovely, soft, inviting, and the temperature was absolutely perfect. I hardly cared.
My gaze scraped the ground, watching Jack scurry along. It had been three weeks since Treize dragged me back, and those weeks had been some of the longest I'd ever endured. There were times when I thought being in a real, honest-to-goodness prison would have been easier. At least in prison I would have been able to confide in someone, have human contact. Here ... I had no one.
"Hey, Jack. Not that way - this way. Come on, boy, you'll make us late, and you know how Treize feels about us being late for dinner ..."
Forester was satisfied that we were headed toward the mansion, so he left to continue his patrol along the perimeter. Once he strode ahead of us, I shortened my stride just a little, then scooped Jack up and sidled off the path as I watched Forester march along the trail. There was a break in the trees and bushes to my right; not much of one, but it was there, and I liked to look through it, beyond the security fence. From that vantage point, with my back pressed against an evergreen, I could see the street, the outside world. It was marvelous, heaven. It gave me hope.
People were walking along the street, minding their own afternoon business; it was, after all, a weekday. And then I saw flashes of color in my peripheral vision, first on one side, then quickly on the other. Colors of the rainbow, blurring together, as if someone was running just fast enough to cause it.
I blinked. What? I peered through the trees, frowning. What was that? Did I just see ... something?
It happened againVery bright, very fast - first on my left, then on my right. And I felt something, too - it felt like laughter. Fluid, liquid laughter, bright and happy, moving with the color.
Wait. That's ... a person? And he's laughing?
Blinking, I clutched Jack a little tighter and drew back, unsure.
Oh, no you don't - you pull yourself together, Po, and find out what that IS -
Straightening my spine, I pushed away from the evergreen and stepped into the undergrowth, wiggling around until I was as close as I dared to the edge of the property. I had to see what that was. Jack was wiggling in my arms, too, but mercifully, he wasn't making a sound.
Then I gasped.
Myriad people walked by on both sides of the street, all very busy, caught up in their own affairs. Not one of them noticed the tall, slender man who appeared out of nowherelounging against the building across the street from me. A soft, white, light surrounded him, illuminating his skin, making him glow from the inside out. The light reminded me of the aura that surrounded Seiyruu's wife; not as intense, but the same kind of quality, the same luster. His aura, for lack of a better term, was wide and still, wider, even than mine. Its character and nature, though, felt very different than any other I'd ever seen, even from this distance.
Something tugged at my soul the moment I saw him. He was so preternaturally beautiful - handsome and strong, with long blonde hair, intense blue eyes, firm, muscled arms, chiseled features, pointed ears ...
... pointed ears...?
He's not human, my little voice whispered.
His smile became even wider, and he waved.
Well hello, Sally Po!
I heard him. Clear as a bell on a summer's evening, his voice cut across the clutter and hustle of the street noise and flew over to me - to me! No one turned, no one looked, not one person even blinked. No one heard him, no one saw him - no one, that is, except me. How weird was that? Considering some of the other things I'd seen, this was unusual, but not unlikely.
My eyes wide, I raised one hand in greeting and slowly waved back. Um ... hello. Who - who are you?
Now he was grinning. I could see beautifully white, even teeth, two sharp fangs where his eyeteeth should have been. My name's not important, Sally Po. What is important is that I've come, and I've accomplished my mission.
Confused, I shook my head and lowered my hand, scratching Jack instead. Your - your mission? I don't understand. What was your mission?
He was still lounging against the wall, but I swore his gaze became sharper, more focused, and his eyes were twinkling. Why, to see you, of course, silly human. And you're just as lovely as the rumors said you were.
Ooooh, yeah, that confirmed it. Definitely not human. I stared back at him, hardly breathing. What? R - rumors? What rumors? What - what are you talking about? Because rumors meant talking, and talking meant people, and people implied more than one, and ohGODS I didn't want to follow THAT train of thought ...
He looked sly. Why, the rumors about YOU. You're famous, Sally Po, didn't you know? You're the human who can see our kind - the one who interacts with demons, the one who guards a dragon princeling. There hasn't been someone like you for millennia. The equivalent of a snicker ran through my brain, tickling my neck and shoulders, pleasantly buzzing the backs of my ears and the insides of my elbows.
That spooked me. My hands started to shake, and I clutched Jack tighter. Oh. Well. I - I really should go. It's been nice - nice talking to you - um - whoever you are -
Without warning, he disappeared from across the street and reappeared directly in front of me, just two meters away, right on the other side of the security fence. Involuntarily I pulled back, startled; but an indefinable something held me there, watching his amazingly expressive eyes. I wanted to be there, needed to be there, just to see him, to look into his eyes -
"Treize isn't taking any chances, is he," he murmured, tilting his head to one side, inspecting me with a small smile. "You really are very new. Did you know, Sally Po, that even if I wished, I could not take you? That this fence does much more than keep out the odd human riffraff?"
"It ... does?"
Jack growled deep in his throat, a very low, threatening sound, one I had never heard before. Surprised, I blinked and looked down at him. The fur around his neck was standing straight up, his lip had curled back from his teeth and he was showing his canines. His eyes, too, had a feral, yellow gleam. He looked dangerous and threatening, able to do some real damage.
"Oh, yes, child." The man sounded amused. "That fence, plus your little friend there, would discourage most visitors from making any contact with you at all. But I know my limits. I only want to see you, not steal you."
STEAL me? ME? I stared at him, unbelieving, for a long moment, until I found my voice. "You - you're kidding, aren't you? Steal me?" I finally croaked out, gaping.
He studied me, seemed to consider something, then nodded to himself. "Hn. Tell me, Sally Po," he asked, his expression serious, "how often do you walk outside alone?"
I blinked. "I - well. I'm never completely alone. Someone's always around. One of Treize's Specials, at least."
"Yes, if not Treize himself," he mused. "Now, about the Specials. Those people aren't terribly human, are they?" His smile was kind, but he knew. He knew.
"No, they aren't." I was suspicious, and didn't like where I thought this was going.
"They also steer you clear of the edges of the property - places like this - don't they?" A knowing look, thrown right at me. Caught you, caught you, I know all about you -
I scowled. "It depends on how much time we have outside." FEH.
"Well spoken!" he said, grinning broadly. "But here's a warning you'd be wise to heed. You ARE very new - very young, very tasty. And no matter how self-sufficient you were before you were awakened, you are nothing but a babe in the woods now."
"What on earth do you -"
A flash of color in front of me, then above me, and suddenly my mystery guest pressed the length of his body against mine, centimeters away from Jack's snapping teeth.
"My dear, dear, Sally, this is what I mean," he murmured into my ear. "Consider this advice from a friend. Don't go near the edges of Treize's property. You never know who will be waiting there for you."
He was gone before I could scream.
Jack barked at the top of his little lungs, sounding the alarm. At the same time, I felt something else that - for lack of a better description - went off everywhere, in every direction, in and out and through my body. It rattled my teeth, stabbed my brain and shook me through and through, right to the marrow of my bones. Gasping, I sank down to my knees, clutched Jack, closed my eyes and prayed that whatever was happening to me would soon stop.
"Ms. Po! Ms. Po! MS. PO, ANSWER ME!"
"Here - here, I'm here!"
Strong arms snaked around my ribs, hauled me unceremoniously to my feet and dragged me backwards, dumping Jack out of my lap. He was still barking, his voice shrill and strong; he hadn't stopped barking since that man had appeared next to me.
"Are you all right? Are you injured in any way?"
Fortunately, that terrible sound - feeling - had stopped. My head fell back, I opened my eyes looked straight up into Special Forester's face. To my surprise, he looked terribly worried, almost frightened. It was a curious thing; I had never seen a Special look like that before. I blinked up, confused.
"Ms. Po. Are you injured?"
"There's no need to shout, Special Forester, I'm right in front of you. I heard you perfectly." I frowned, shook my head and struggled to sit up. "I'm not injured. What was that horrible noise, or - or thing that went off? I felt it everywhere, all through me -"
"That was the border alarm. Something breached the perimeter." I felt him studying me, his expression grim, knowing eyes prying out my secrets. "It tried to get inside the compound."
Ha. Little do you know that it GOT inside. I composed my face into what I hoped was a shocked expression. "To me?"
He frowned. "Unknown. I must make a full report to the General, once he arrives back at the mansion. You cannot remain out here alone. Please - come with me." He tugged me to my feet, and then in the direction of the house. There were no questions, no arguments, no discussion; this time, he was all business. Period.
Oh, FEH. "I will, I will, but wait - wait a minute, please - I have to get Jack - "
Forester waited the few moments it took for me to scoop Jack off the ground and into my arms, then gently put his hand under my elbow and guided me back to the house. This time, though, he didn't let go.
The moment we arrived at the mansion, Special Forester stationed himself at the front door and motioned me inside.
"I'll wait for the General here, Ms. Po, and report to him. Please do not concern yourself. All will all be taken care of. You should wash up for dinner. The General will be here at any moment."
"Well ... thank you, Forester."
"Yes, Ms. Po."
Bristling, I glared and huffed off, slightly incensed that a Special found the need to tell me to 'wash up for dinner,' making a conscious effort not to think about what he and Treize were going to discuss. Jack yipped and trotted after me, good dog that he was.
"What happened?" Wufei was standing in the foyer, waiting for me, arms crossed and a scowl fixed firmly in place. "What was that? Did you do that? Are you all right?"
"No, I didn't do that, and of course I'm all right - look, see, we're BOTH all right." I glared a little and pointed down at Jack. "Would you mind watching him for a minute, Wufei? I'd like to wash my hands and face before dinner."
He narrowed his eyes. "Fine. But you still have to tell me what happened." Wufei reached down, ruffled Jack's fur and murmured to him, then picked him up and scratched his head. "That sound - if that's what it was - was tremendous. It rattled the dishes in here."
"Well ... yeah. It was awfully big." Gads, Po, how lame can you get?
I ducked into the powder room to forestall any other questions or comments and quickly closed the door. Sighing, I ran warm water over my fingers, then lathered my hands and imagined what dinner was going to be like after Treize talked to Forester.
Brace yourself, Po. It's going to be another one of those nights.
I had no illusions. Treize was going to ask me what had happened, point blank, in front of Wufei, and I was going to tell him and look like a complete idiot. Again. For some reason known only to him, he liked embarrassing me that way. And after that would come the inevitable lecture, how everything he did was really for me, my benefit, my safety, blah, blah, blah bad Sally bad bad Sally. FEH.
Such had been my life for the last three weeks. I wanted to stay where I was, in the powder room, and come out sometime after dinner. Maybe even after midnight. Too bad I hadn't thought to use one of the rooms upstairs.
Groaning, I splashed water over my face, then vigorously toweled it dry, thinking about what that other, long haired, beautiful man had said. What did he mean, that before I was self-sufficient, but now that I was awakened, I was just a 'babe in the woods?' Squinting at my reflection in the mirror, I made a face. What the hell did that mean, "awakened?" And gads - I hadn't regressed, I wasn't an infant - what was he talking about? Why didn't anyone ever just TELL me these things?
I heard discreet rapping on the powder room door. "Sally? Are you coming out?"
Feh. Now I had to leave. "Yes, Wufei, I'll be right out."
The moment I walked out of the powder room I saw Treize standing next to the entrance in the foyer, speaking quietly with Forester. The Special spoke softly and gestured toward the side of the property. Treize took something out of his pocket and handed it to Forester. Both men studied it, Forester pointing something out, then pulled back respectfully while Treize took the paper and studied it.
Wufei and I glanced at each other. He looked as if he was bursting to say something to me.
"Dinner is served," one of the Specials announced from the dining room.
Treize looked up. "Ah, good - Sally, Wufei! Please go in and have a seat - I will join you in just a moment." He smiled and nodded to us, then turned his attention back to Forester, pointing out several spots on the paper and obviously giving careful instructions. Forester listened intently and nodded.
Wufei and I turned, walked into the dining room and found our places at the table. Silently, I sat down and studied my plate. I wasn't looking forward to this particular meal at all.
"Well? Are you going to tell me, or not?" Wufei demanded, sounding completely put out.
Surprised, I glanced up at him. "Tell you - oh, you mean - oh, I'm sorry, Wufei, I didn't realize I hadn't said anything yet -"
"No, you didn't. You dashed into the house, then into the bathroom, hardly saying two words to me. And now you're here." He looked peeved. "You didn't do anything, did you?"
I gave him an injured look. "I already told you no. I didn't do anything. That thing you heard was the border alarm. Something tried to get IN."
He caught the connotation immediately. "Something? Not someone? Did you see it?" The dragon was staring right at me, over Wufei's head, his gaze like a laser beam.
OhGODS, Po, you are SUCH an idiot -
Just as I thought there was no way out, Treize walked into the dining room, smiled at us and took his place at the head of the table. Immediately, Wufei's attention snapped away from me and focused right on Treize, forgetting me completely. Usually, I felt bereft when that happened, but after several weeks of it, I was becoming accustomed to the feeling. Today, though, I felt slightly relieved that he had somewhere else to direct his attention.
"I'm sorry to keep everyone waiting so long. There were simply a few necessary details I needed to clear up before dinner. May I serve you, Wufei? Sally?"
Dinner was a quiet affair. I was surprised; shocked, in fact. Treize did NOT trot me out like the prize bull, all set for slaughter. I braced myself for the inevitable question - "So, Sally, did you see anything interesting on your walk this afternoon?" - but he never asked. And if he wasn't going to bring it up, neither was I. It was the two ton elephant in the corner of the room that we tacitly agreed not to discuss. Treize made light conversation, talking about the weather, local politics - everything BUT what had happened. Somehow, that made it worse.
After the dessert dishes had been whisked away, Treize nodded pleasantly to Wufei and me and said, "Would you accompany me to the upstairs library, please? I'm having our tea sent up there, as well. Wufei, I know you have some studying you wanted to do - and Sally, I don't believe you were finished with your hierarchy, were you?"
"Um ... no, Treize, I wasn't ..."
I pushed away from the table and followed them upstairs, to yet another surprising quirk of the Khushrenada household - everyone who was a permanent member studied something, no matter what. I wouldn't have minded so much, except that this revelation came at a particularly bitter time for me. After I 'returned,' Treize and I had a little discussion about household matters:
"... so, unfortunately, Sally, there are consequences to every action, no matter how well-intentioned or how reasonable they seem to you at the time. Running from Une was ill-advised, even though you felt you had no choice ..."
... gads, will this never end? ... good grief, my father didn't even lecture me this much -
"...and as for the CAR -" He paused for a moment to insure he had my full attention, then looked me straight in the eye. "Sally Anne Poe, there is no excuse for thievery. You were not in fear for your life, you were not protecting Wufei, you were not in a war - you were simply not thinking. And that will not happen again."
I felt terribly guilty; I couldn't even protest. He had me, and he knew it. How did he get into my head so completely? I dropped my gaze to the floor, loathe to look at him any longer.
Can we please get PAST the guilt trip and get to the damn point? I GOT it, all right? I wasn't supposed toSTEALthecar, okay? Okay. Blah, blah, blah ...
" ... the local police are pressuring me to give them some kind of reassurance that this type of incident won't reoccur, Sally. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that this is the only thing that will satisfy them and the media in the long run, and ..."
... no. He can't be saying - no, ohGODSno - is he saying he's - he's - GROUNDING me?
I stared at him. Slack-jawed. In complete and total shock.
"Wait. I - I can't - LEAVE? You - you're - GROUNDING me?"
He chucked. "Well, yes. I suppose I am."
That had been three weeks ago. There was no end in sight to that punishment, either, not for me. I was permitted to walk around in the house and on the grounds, escorted, and that was it. While there, Treize allowed me the freedom to do what I wanted, as long as I devoted the requisite amount of time to my studies - which, at this point, were also proscribed by him.
"You may go anywhere on the property you wish, Sally, but you must obey the Specials at all times. They are concerned with your safety. I trust them implicitly."
What the hell did he think I was going to DO, fall in a hole? For pity's sake, did I NEED a guard dog yapping at my heels every second of the day?
"And for your studies, at this point you need to familiarize yourself with - how shall I say this? your 'new' world. To that end, I have set up a small course that will assist you in understanding, in part, what will be in store for you. Wufei is reading through this, and other, books. Please, Sally - ask questions."
I just looked at him, expressionless.
Oh, joy. My new life. I couldn't wait. I hated it already. And I hated him.
He smiled and stroked my head.
"You will be all right, Sally. It's a lot of information to take in at once."
Three weeks later we were all upstairs in the library, one happy dysfunctional family. Wufei certainly looked the part of the scholar - glasses on his nose, peering into an old, dusty tome, the dragon wrapped around his shoulders and stuck right inside the book with him. Treize was seated next to him in a comfortable chair, sprawled out, reading. I was curled up in an overstuffed armchair with a large reference book on my left and my laptop on my right, ready to finish a small project.
For my own amusement, I kept a small diary on my laptop. I had been, and still was, desperately unhappy, but at least now I thought I had a handle on it. Idly I flicked through my entries, reading them before I made today's entry and finished my project.
Confinement, Day 1: Incredibly boring. Nothing going on. Watched vidfeed. Actually wrote down what the feed said. Here it is. Morons.
"And this is the same type of car that the notorious Sally Po stole when making her bid for freedom the other day. We can only speculate what was in the commando's mind as she jimmied open the car's locking mechanism with a scalpel and drove it through France, possibly toward the spaceport at Charles deGaulle International.."
Feh. Treize laughed when he saw it.
Confinement, Day 2: More of same. I'm not watching the vidfeed anymore. Started walking Jack in the morning and afternoon. Will probably add an evening walk, too, if the weather's good. Boring, boring, boring. Wufei's fine.
Confinement, Day 3: I hate Treize. Added Jack's evening walk. 'Bumped' into Une. She spilled her tea. Heh.
Day 4: Studying in the morning is better than studying in the afternoon. Reading at night is good. Jack is cute. Life is ... well.
Day 5: I now have a Nursery Guard Dog. His name is Forester. Apt, since he's stationed in the forest. At least he likes dogs.
Day 6: Wufei and I never really talk anymore. ;;
Day 7: Jack found Une in the back garden this afternoon. Then I found them together. Hee:D
Had a quiz today, but I think I did okay. ... Oh gods. I can't believe I just WROTE that.
Day 8: ... bad day all around. not even worth mentioning.
Day 9: Jack and I 'discovered' Wufei and Treize in the rose garden.
Note to self: Stay away from any paths with arbors. Walk the perimeter of the property. Much better for sanity.
Started research project tonight. Gee. That was ... fun. --
Day 10: Une stopped by. She stayed about two hours. Usually, her visits are shorter. She actually might be allergic to Jack. I think we need more research. :D
I closed the diary; I didn't need to rehash my emotional state for the last couple of weeks, I had already lived it. Sighing, I opened my document on the laptop and then thumbed the reference book open to the correct page.
Well, who knows. I could finish this ... it might distract me.
Classification of non-humans into various categories actually helped me break down this new "system" into manageable parts, especially since I was able to use the human biological model. The sing-song of 'kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species!' ran around in my brain every time I looked at these books. Why the original authors neglected to use something that simple to organize their data was a mystery to me. They didn't even leave a table of contents or an index to help their readers.
Because they weren't human, of course. They decided THEIR way was MUCH better. Humans were stupid, if you didn't catch the drift.
That was the subtext with every book I handled;.humans were stupid, non-humans were superior. I kept my opinions to myself as I read, tried to bury them somewhere else every time I came across a particularly onerous passage, and kept on going. Categorizing, cataloging ... I had been working about forty minutes when it struck me, as I examined the illustration of a particularly grisly vampire, that at least something in this library probably held a picture of a man that came close to the one who accosted me earlier that day. Hmmm. Maybe even this book. I hadn't looked through it completely ...
I sat up a little straighter and glanced first at Treize, then at Wufei. They both appeared engrossed in what they were reading. So far, so good. Then I started to leaf through the illustrations, rejecting those that were obviously not a match and examining others closely where the comparison was close. Nothing, though. There was nothing in this book that was a match.
Well, okay. That only meant that I needed the next volume. I set the book aside, hopped out of my chair and walked over to the shelves, craning my neck, looking up at the top.
"Do you need some help?"
Treize was right behind me, so close that if I backed up I would have stepped on him. I started, then looked up at him, blinking.
"Ah ... well, yes, in fact I do. I need that book, right there ..." I pointed at the top shelf. He reached for it and easily tugged it out, then handed it to me with a smile.
"There you go, Sally."
"Thanks," I said, wiggling around him to get back to my seat, my face flushing. Getting that close to him, even now, was disconcerting. That, plus knowing I hadn't told him about this afternoon, was enough to send my pulse racing. I hated feeling guilty.
"Quite all right," he murmured. "Let me know if you need something else."
"Okay," I said, not looking up. Wufei glanced over in my direction once, then fixed his gaze back into his book again, dismissing the rest of the world.
This volume was old, but its illustrations were excellent. It was the same as the other, though - no table of contents, no index. With my laptop on the table, I left the book in my lap and slowly turned each page, examining both the drawing and the caption, until I saw the exact image of the man who spoke to me. I couldn't believe it - it was him, in every detail - his beautiful blonde hair, his piercing blue gaze and his pointed ears. My hand traced over the picture, barely brushing his outline. The caption read Mountain Elf.
"Is he the one, Sally?"
I gasped and started badly. Treize leaned over me and put his hand on my shoulder. At first, he looked at the illustration, but then he tilted his head and glanced at me, his blue gaze speaking volumes.
Swallowing, I removed my hand very slowly from the image and brought it down to the bottom of the page, glanced up at him, then down at the book. My face was uncomfortably hot. Again. "Well ... it's ... ah ..."
"Sally." Before I knew it, Treize was sitting next to me, his arm around my shoulder, very comforting. "I know you had a scare today, but you need to talk about it. Especially with both Wufei and me. We need to know what happened, so we can protect you. All right?"
I absolutely hated it when he adopted his this-is-so-reasonable-you-need-to-agree-with-me tone; if I didn't agree with him, I'd sound like a complete moron. Now Wufei's interest was piqued, not only because he heard his name, but because my name, the word "scare" and the word "protect" were mentioned in the same sentence. Wufei closed his book and moved closer, frowning. "What's this? What's going on?"
"Sally's going to tell us what really happened today," Treize said, calmly rubbing the back of my shoulders. "Aren't you, Sally?"
I hate you, Treize, I really hate you for doing this, you didn't NEED to do this -
"I ... I ... yes. I am," I said, unenthusiastic, glaring at Treize. "It - well - that sound was the border alarm -"
"Yes, I can explain that. But who is this?" Treize probed gently, pointing at the man in the illustration, prompting me to put the book on the table between us.
Wufei pulled his chair over to get a better look, turning his head to the side, frowning.
You may hate me, Sally, but lying is a bad habit. I won't have you lying to me, to Wufei or to yourself about anything that happens in this household. If you won't talk voluntarily, then I must find another way, mustn't I?
I drooped. "He's - well." I took a deep breath, then started. "There was a man who spoke to me - today - after Special Forester left to do his rounds. I saw him when I stopped to look out at the street. He didn't seem harmful -"
"He spoke to you? He saw you through the trees, and he spoke to you?" Wufei fairly exploded and was nearly out of his chair and across the table at me. "Woman, do you realize what danger you were in, what danger you put yourself in? Where was Forester?"
"Steady, dragon, sit down. Let her speak."
I was taken aback at the vehemence of his outburst. "Wufei - wait, please. Forester was there, just - ahead of me. First of all, this man was across the street. Secondly, the only thing he did was wave and say hello. Then he told me that all he wanted to do was see me and confirm that the rumors were true."
A different expression, one I hadn't seen before, crossed Wufei's face as he sank back into his chair and processed what I said. "Rumors?" He blinked a little as he stared at me. "What rumors?"
"Well, exactly! That's what I asked him. And he said - " It took me a moment to recall his exact words - "he said - he said the rumors were about me. Me, can you believe it? That I was famous," I said, with a little unbelieving snort. "He said, 'you're the human who can see our kind - the one who interacts with demons, the one who guards a dragon princeling. There hasn't been someone like you for millennia.'"
Wufei's gaze was piercing. "And he was across the street when he - said - this to you. And no one else heard him. Except you."
"Well, yes, that's - true ..." I looked back at Wufei, and realized what I had inadvertently told him, and Treize, about myself. And, I suppose, about this man. Elf. Whatever. ARGH.
Tea had been set out for us. I grabbed my cup and took a long, healthy swig. Fortunately, it was black tea, strong and bracing. It would have been even better with a shot of bourbon in it.
"What else, Sally?" Treize's voice was gentle, but insistent.
Oh, FEH. I sighed. "There was - I saw - a flash of color - and then this man was on the walk in front of the property, on our side of the street. He told me he was here just to see me, not to steal me."
Wufei's eyes had narrowed. "Oh? Is that all?" His voice had a dangerous edge.
"Um .. yes. He said ... that even if he wanted, he couldn't take me. That the combination of the fence and Jack would scare most - most things off."
"Not him, apparently. He was still there."
"Dragon - please."
"Well ... he also told me I was 'very new.'" I turned to Treize, puzzled. "What does that mean, 'very new?' I'm not - "
"Mmm. I'll explain later. Go on."
GRAH. "I - I didn't believe him when he said someone might want to steal me. I thought he was kidding. I mean, if there's anyone to steal around here, it's Wufei, not me, right?" I gestured toward stony-faced Wu, who didn't find that amusing at all. "Really. He's - he's the one that's valuable. Who am I, after all? Well, when I said that, he just smiled and started asking me questions, but they were questions he already knew the answers to."
"Like what?"
I blushed fiercely. "Oh, you know, things like, 'how often do you walk outside alone?' Well, I don't, and I told him so. And then he said, 'ah, the Specials - they aren't terribly human, are they?' - of course they aren't human, anyone can see that."
"Not quite anyone, but do go on." Treize covered a small smile.
"Then he said, 'They also steer you clear of the edges of the property, places like this, don't they?' - and I told him it depended on how much time we had outside." Treize raised his eyebrow, but I plowed on. "Anyway, that's when he said that even though I was self-sufficient before I was awakened, now I was just a babe in the woods. And before I could even ask him what he meant, he had jumped clear across the fence and was pressed up right NEXT to my side. I was so shocked, I couldn't move. He was on the wrong side for Jack to bite. And - and - and he was gone before I even had the chance to scream. Then the alarm went off, and Forester found me, and ... well ... that's the story." I finished, looking down at the book in my lap.
Strong fingers were under my chin, lifting it up. "Did he say anything else, Sally?" Treize asked softly
Can't I keep anything to myself? "He said - he was giving me some friendly advice not to go near the edges of your property, because ... I would never know who would be waiting there for me."
"...and ...?"
"I won't, Treize. I won't go near the edges. I don't want someone - stealing - me." I shuddered.
"Very good, Sally. And I must say, if one was going to have an admirer, a Mountain Elf is certainly one of the best kind to have. You are fortunate, indeed, in many senses of the word."
And you, young woman, are also fortunate that I don't restrict your movements to within a three meter radius of this mansion.
I sat, shocked, cowed, and stared up at Treize. Ohgods no - not that. I couldn't lose that, too. I felt the blood drain from my face.
Please, Treize. Please. Don't - don't take anything else away from me. I'm sorry. I won't - won't - go there, or look at the street anymore. I just wanted to see outside -
I understand, Sally. But you have no idea of the dangers that await you and Wufei 'outside,' as you call it. Your Mountain Elf friend is an anomaly, dear. Most other creatures would have blessed their good luck, ignored the barrier and simply tried to snatch you.
Treize looked from Wufei to me and back again, a speculative gleam in his eye. "I do believe it's time for our first field trip. I had been planning this for later in the month, but really ... there's no reason to delay. And it will be the best way to quash any rumors about either one of you." He reached over and caressed the side of Wufei's face; Wufei, for his part, gave him a melting smile and leaned into it. The dragon bobbed around Wufei's neck, then sinuously twirled around Treize's arm. Wufei sighed, happy, making a soft, beautiful sound.
"Oh. That's - great," I mumbled, averting my eyes. This was only the beginning of something I absolutely didn't want to see. I busily saved the document on my computer, closed all the other open programs then turned the computer off and shut the laptop. Breathing a little faster than normal, I tugged on the power cord and unplugged the machine from the floor. I had to get out of there, and I had to do it now. Pulling the computer into my lap, I held both the machine and the power cable with both hands, and pushed my chair back from the table.
"If - if you'll excuse me, Treize," I said, my voice a little shaky, not looking at him, "I'd like to go to my room now, please. I can finish my paper there. And then - and then I'll take Jack out for his evening walk. A short one, right around the house," I added quickly, glancing up. Didn't want him to think his comment hadn't made an impression, oh, no.
Something else was amiss. He gave me one of his enigmatic looks, the kind that meant I was doing something wrong, but he wasn't going to tell me what that something was.He looked at me, raising one eyebrow with his hand still cupped about Wufei's cheek. Wufei paid no attention; his attention was on Treize, giving him a soft, glowing look.
I took a deep breath, feeling horribly lost and confused. "... p - please?" This time, I sounded lost and confused. Gods ... why was he doing this to me? What did I do? What's wrong with me?
His gaze was penetrating, seeing through me and down to my toes. "All right, Sally. Go ahead. We'll talk later."
I escaped as fast as I could.
Curled in bed, almost asleep, I nearly missed the light rapping on my door.
"Mmf?" Sleepily, I raised my head off the pillow and turned on my side as Jack pranced back and forth, obviously greeting whomever was standing in the doorway.
"Shhh ... settle, Jack, settle." Treize reached down and pet Jack, then walked over and sat on the edge of my bed. "Are you awake, Sally?"
"Umm ... dunno ...aaaahhh..."
"Mmmhmm." His face partially in shadow, Treize reached over and stroked me, from the crown of my head down to the bottom of my chin ... and aaaaaaaaah, that felt so tingly, and just so gooood.
"I was worried about you, Sally. You are much too incautious for your own good. We were extremely fortunate that it was an Elf, and not a demon, that found you today. Elves are curious creatures - they love anything unique. They especially love healers, because that's what they are. And that's what you are, too, Sally Po. You're one of the rarest types of healers in this world."
"Mmmmm..." That was all I could say. In fact, I was lucky to say that. I scooted a little closer to him, hoping that he'd take the hint and rub my back, too.
Treize chuckled and kept petting me, long strokes that extended down the middle of my back. Ah, that felt just fine.
"But I'm not going to lose you, Sally Po, simply because you have a stubborn streak and you're undisciplined." Now he was stroking my back with long, calming strokes, mesmerizing in their sameness and intensity, something that turned my muscles to liquid and my brain to mush. "First, we're going to stop at a clothier and a jewelry shop for some necessities, and then we'll take our field trip. After that, I think you'll be more inclined to stay closer to home. And we'll work on your other - shall we say - 'weak points' - as we go. What do you think?"
"Mmmmmm..."
"Good girl. Get some sleep." He leaned down and kissed my ear, smoothed back my hair and patted my cheek again.
And there's nothing wrong with you, silly thing - but you will need to get used to affection, and people showing affection.
I had nothing to say. Sleep had claimed me, and I only remembered feeling happy, safe and protected. Sort of ... a bronze color.