Book 4

Siha: Rise of Rakhana

Part II

"This poison?" Borhaus chuckles and spits out some of the pith from the fruits he's been served by Braith on the stoop to the front entrance. He pokes out his tongue to get rid of seeds caught in his teeth.

"It's edible," Braith snorts softly and tilts her eyes at Kasumi beside her. Braith is holding a tray with some glassware filled with Kahjic beer, a few hors d'oeuvres that drells enjoy with humans.

Quoyle and four other drells from the two additional skyrunners Borhaus and he drove there are standing in the rain, wearing their government-issue trenches and wetsuits, looking at Braith and Kasumi…They practically could be sisters, Quoyle thinks, …The odd one only having freckles and those big gray eyes, the bigger chest and taller. He adjusts his crotch to avoid the hard-on the others are hard-pressed not to grab and hide low in their pants…Too bad she's married to two other drells and has kids, plus the weird stuff with the morthwyl species…But she can have kids…Drell can give her kids!…

Keeping an eye and an ear to the inners of the cottus, by the open part of the doorway she stands next to, Braith tries to entertain their unwanted guests, and keep Kasumi close to her, "…Besides," she says this to Borhaus, ignoring the fact Quoyle is checking out Kasumi and her like they're some sort of xeno-centerfold piece to smoke over and be entertained by, "…If I wanted to kill you," she does glance at the others, "…you'd all be dead already."

Roun Kryos looks at her sharply, standing next to Quoyle, who continues to pull a puff on his bedi.

Borhaus and the other drells have paused from taking their drinks and food back.

"She's a point," Quoyle says to Roun, "…This Soterios lady's not going to poison anyone…Maybe fry your neural cortex with that power of hers, throw-up blood on your shoes…" He laughs dryly as Braith gives him a squinting stare.

"What's he talking about, Shep?" Kasumi asks. Braith shakes her head.

"I was feeling sick earlier, nothing wrong," she lies and looks away from Quoyle, his eyes not moving from her in the robe.

"Just don't go eating off her fingers, Borhaus," Quoyle eggs her a little, "…Might catch whatever's tickling her immunity…"

The drells all look a little uneasier now, eating the food.

"Well, I can't spit in all the beers since those come out of the containers…I'll make sure to lick the rim on yours though," Braith points at him with a long finger.

Quoyle chuckles, "…I'm not into that way."

Kasumi makes a small choking sound as Braith widens her eyes, "…What a jerk," Kasumi whispers.

"Quiet," Braith hushes her, and turns to pick up the tray she's set down. "Another round?" She offers the servings to the six drells, Kasumi too.

Quoyle waves her over with the tray and plucks a small red fruit from its surface, striped with green and blue geodesics, "…When are your husbands and Tetonbaum going to finish their little 'talk', Nefen Soterios," he pops the fruit in the side of his mouth, crunching on the soft flesh.

"I dunno," she steps back once, the drell next to him plucking a few berries off the tray and smiling politely at the dangerous woman, "…Whenever they do will be whenever they do…Sorry, I can't give you a hard ETA." She glances down at his pants, smiles patronizingly, and backs up the steps to turn. She glances over her shoulder at him, smoking his bedi again, "…You should stop the habit, you know…My husband's got it bad as is…Wouldn't want you ending up as hooked as he's been hiding…"

"I hadn't realized," Quoyle lowers the bedi, "…he was trying to quit…" His eyes dropping to her bare feet under her robe, making little pats on the concrete stoop, "…I see him smoking, all the time, when he's at work or leaving here with that sub-servant husband number two of yours," Braith lowers her eyelids at him once she turns, "…Doesn't seem to be a problem for him…But you say your husband's conducting an intervention to get him to stop?…"

"Doesn't make sense, does it," the drell next to him, Roun murmurs around a berry in his mouth. He pokes out his tongue and swallows the one—after he shows it to them.

Oy vais, Kasumi thinks, …are all these Kahjic drell such pigs?

Braith opens the door, "…Since when did males ever think with their heads like you smart little fellas? Must be the short stature," she quips, nodding to Kasumi, "…Overcompensation in other areas for the vertically-challenged."

"Hey," Borhaus gestures to the rest of them as he tries to follow her in, Kasumi blocking him by timing her step between Braith and the officer, "…Who are you calling short?"

Kasumi doesn't have to defend her position long…Braith returns with another tray full of food and closes the door just barely behind her…She hopes the smoke isn't getting inside, nor the insects flitting about, drawn to the front door light overhead. Kasumi is wearing a second coat over her first and her gown, lent to her by Braith when she came outside and demanded to talk to her friend in private.

"…Tetonbaum's inside with Casnar and Ylyssus, they're all using the shard together…You okay?"

"Yeah," she looks behind her shoulder at the drells getting out of the car, cursing at the rain, "…They want to see you and the kiddos…I don't trust any of them, Shepard."

"I need to make up something…Follow my lead…"

"I didn't know drells could get hooked to bedis," one of the other agents says, "…First I've heard of it…He really hooked on smoking?"

"Oh yes," Braith and Kasumi nod vigorously together, milking the lie. They latched onto it, as non-original it may have been…Anything was preferable to the government agents learning of the bizarre communion between Casnar, Ylyssus, Tetonbaum and the shards on the kitchen table. At present, Braith and Kasumi were trying to convince—or at least throw off—Quoyle and the others what with Casnar's "having been caught smoking bedis in a closet" and needing an intervention that only Tetonbaum, Ylyssus, and she could handle.

And while their "private matter" was ongoing, she and Kasumi would be outside, trying to keep the impression all was normal inside, and the twins were having a miraculous asleep…Maybe attributable to their escapades in Sybilla during the daytime.

Braith offers another drink from the tray to Borhaus, "…This? Or better yet, since I don't know which of you is driving, try this, I cooked it…Kind of not a great chef…" She chuckles as he waves his hand, averse to whatever her cooking attempt resulted with on the new tray.

"Casnar's got it bad."

"If I had to eat her food," Borhaus laughs derisively, "…I'd be resorting to some alternative-medicinal choices too..." He nudges Kasumi, then frowns at her offended glance.

Braith grins, "…I make up for my shortcomings in other ways. My husband usually finds those methods easier on him."

"I bet you do have other…real nice," Borhaus chuckles softer and raises his eyeridges at the other drells, "…methods that make it easy on him."

Quoyle shakes his head and looks at Roun Kryos. "Going to be a long night, Sered."

Braith looks over at Quoyle, her eyes shifting from the back of his head to the tiger-striped drell who spoke to him. Roun looks back at her.

Quoyle tilts his face up towards the night, there in the glass holosphere…A mist of moist air beads on their clothes and skins, "…This climate really wears on my nerves..."

He turns back to Braith and Kasumi.

"…Mind if we wait inside," he gestures to the door, "…We can finish the food and drinks in that cottus…I need a visual on the kids in any case..." Braith points to his bedi.

"You've been smoking," she shakes her head, "…Not good for infants' developing lungs."

Quoyle flicks the bedi aside, which causes everyone to pause…Litter on Kahje is punishable with hefty fines.

"Bedi is no more."

"Smoke's still on your clothes," she sees him walk up onto the stoop, leaving Roun and passing Borhaus, "…No-go." She looks up somewhat at his face as he approaches closer. He stops in front of her, looking down at Braith and Kasumi.

"You want, I can leave my coat outside, or would you rather take my clothes off?"

Braith sneers a little, "…Not if I don't have to…"

He tilts his head and crests, points at the gap in the doorway she and Kasumi are blocking with their figures, "…Let us go inside, say hello to the party in there—your bedi-hooked husband and so forth…Then," he sighs, watching her expression, "…we can get out of your hair…"

Braith looks at Kasumi. "Watch them, and don't let them honey you into letting them squeeze in uninvited."

"Where you going?"

"I'm going to ask the boys if this toolbelt can go spy on my babies while they sleep."

"You got it," Kasumi steps into Braith's place as she gives Quoyle a mean stare, turning to leave.

Closing the door behind her, …Dick…I hope you liked that toolbelt comment…Braith waves the smoke out of her nostrils, and turns to the kitchen.

"Oh, Gods!"

Tetonbaum is there, staring at her with a queer quietness from the archway, his head partly bowed to avoid the architecture.

"…Good," Braith smiles with relief and runs her hands through her hair, tucking the loose strands back behind an ear, "…you're back, I take it? Where are—there you two…"

Casnar and Ylyssus have appeared beyond his frame.

She can see none of them are smiling, nor in the least bit relieved.

"…Fun times, huh?"

Tetonbaum steps slowly towards her, Casnar and Ylyssus taking a few uncertain steps and then stopping…There is something in their silence.

"…Hey," she can feel her power warning her of Tetonbaum's—but it's nothing different from normal, and he has told her to take it easy, "…Kasumi's outside on the stoop, Tetonbaum."

His body stills, and a shadow passes through his expression...Braith walks by him…His hand reaches for her.

"…The others are on the stoop with her, too, drinking some beer and eating some stuff I've been feeding them…Maybe that Quoyle will choke on something…I have to check the twins, and show that prick in to see them so he can check off his to-do on his tablet or whatever for this visit to end tonight..."

Casnar and Ylyssus move suddenly, grabbing Braith and tugging her away from Tetonbaum's hands.

"…What—"

"Tetonbaum," Casnar pushes Braith towards Ylyssus, "…Don't even think about it…You touch her, you touch me—and it will be worse than the shit we're in together—"

"You heard what was said…"

Braith stares at Tetonbaum from behind Ylyssus's arm, "…What's going on?…"

Ylyssus urges her towards the door of the cotovatre, "…Braith, wake the twins, get them ready to leave soon—quickly now…There's not much time—"

Tetonbaum's growl causes Braith to freeze her hand from opening the door…