The afternoon was hazy as the heat lay on the streets. Insects, the only creatures hardy enough to be out in the sweltering suns buzzed here and there about their insectly business. Shimmering, the heat left illusions of water where the dark broken paving reflected the sky.
Tracey Williams sat outside the hospital. He looked up at the suns, from his position in the shade and sighed softly. He had come outside to think after Joy had fallen asleep upstairs. The future of the Fellowship was as secure as it ever was... which meant it was in turmoil. He needed to do several things. So many in fact, that for the moment, he was bewildered as to where to start.
A bug -- one of those nasty kinds that Alexx and Erikk had killed up on the roof -- skittered along and found... a foot. He watched the bug, said to it "You know bug... Only Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the Noonday suns, they say. "
An antenna twitched, like it was listening. He lifted his foot, his contemplation of the plight of his fellow Magi pausing a moment as he watched this skittering bug. It moved back from the raised foot and paused to clean mandibles that would strike fear into the heart of 'Nykk.
"What the hell is an Englishman?" Came the unmistakable voice of a woman who squished the filthy bug with a major stomping.
He hadn't seen its sheer size until it was squashed beneath the firmly soled foot of her goggle eyed shadow. His eyes widened, he said, "Bloody disgusting!" And now he moved back a step, butt walking along the concrete.
The suns played tricks on his pale eyes -- he was not a daylight dweller our Mr. Williams. He imagined he heard a tiny scream and saw the yellowish ooze leak from the dead body. He looked up at the woman. The thought occurred to him to ask, "what are you" but he didn't. One could hardly tell with the way she was bundled. She looked like a bug herself, big goggly shaded goggles, cloaked against the sun glare.
She scraped the goo off her shoe and climbed the steps. The big Union patch on her cloak gave away her identity; or partially so. All it really said was that she had acquired a Union patch. Then again, you didn't walk into the hospital with one unless you *were* union. That tended to get you under the fire of the Medics and this ... woman ... also had a med kit strapped to her back. The sounds of the bugs and the silent, deadly heat drew trickles of sweat down his temples.
She looked over her shoulder at the guy. "Gonna get burned you stay out here much longer." She swept off the hood to reveal blonde hair at least. And kicked at the doors to let her in. "Damn things." She muttered and kicked at the doors again. Bang! Bang! Bang!
He saw the blonde hair, and that was all. The suns overwhelmed his eyes so he took her advice, rising up to head back inside. "I know you, don't I?' He moved up to the stoop to help her with the doors.
"Elliot! You better get this damn door open now!" A growl, then she stepped aside to give Tracey some room. Lookie...just inside some guy and a chick were speaking at each other. Are they helping? Noooo.
"Yeah, you know me." But she didn't elaborate.
While they could not hear the conversation inside, this was how it progressed.
"No, I don't."
"Yes you do."
"No, I don't."
"YES. You do." One of the two inside the Hospital sighed. "How else do you expect to get home if you do not go back out in the heat?" The woman crossed her arms and tapped her foot, staring at the man with the stringy black hair and rubbing a spot on her inter-cubital the inner part of the elbow.
The man stopped. "I..." Then he looked at the woman.
Said the one with the long, mahogany hair with way too many waves to be helpful in this heat and humidity. "Yyriss. We are leaving. I am done here." She looked to the door and chuckled. Nothing changed. And yes, she did go to hit that "Yo! OPEN" emergency lever for the door.
While the AC was working off and on inside, the hospital denizens were still not doing as much work as they could possibly 'not' do... especially with the blonde-haired medic on the outside. Elliott remained suspiciously quiet.
"You just had blood drawn." Yyriss protested, rarely smug, thinking he now had the perfect reason.
"They took one tube." Myrrinn gave him a flat look back over her shoulder as the door opened and the oppressive heat assaulted her. Her words were available to be heard by the two entering as the doors flew apart. It happened much faster than they should have once the emergency button was pushed. Trace reached for the door just as the doors did their thing and tugged back his hand so that he didn't lose it. Asche fell forward cause she was leaning on them.
"Ack!" She said, sputtering, stumbling into a trip, which led to a fall with a loud thud that sounded suspiciously like 'boom.'
"Kierrist..." Trace muttered, which was the name of an ages old Mage. He was a guy who used to think he could dance on the image of the Atom in the streets and not die for that.
"Hello, Mir... Asche. Tracey." The mahogany-haired woman turned back to Yyriss as she stepped out of the way. Taptaptap went her foot. "Yyriss..."
Asche was on her hands and knees. She looked up as she got slowly to her feet, her knees aching. "Aw hell. Back again?"
Yyriss grumbled and threw up about a dozen walls inside his mind. He muttered, "I should have gone with D." Trace stepped forward, bent down to help Asche up, heard a voice. Several bugs aimed for the front doors as they shuddered then slammed shut again. His fingers wrapped around Asche's elbow to assist.
"Only for completion of testing." She chuckled, not taking her eyes off of the ever-skittish man. Rather like... a bug! at times. "I should say, a follow-up." She was due for one, and since she wasn't at home, she couldn't very well have it done there, now could she? "D needs to do this on his own." She said gently, laying a hand on his arm. They were worried about him. They were both worried about a lot of things.
Asche got her legs under her and stood up, using Tracey as a prop for a moment wheupon she mumbed 'thanks' to him.
"No problem," He murmured back as he checked to see she was steady on her feet before letting go. He recognized who she was now too, an' not just cause her name had been spoken. In the inside light, all was so dim, compared to outside that it seemed very surreal to him.
"I know, I know." Yyriss murmured, pulling hair from his face. His eyes were a little crazed, as they always were.
"You still picking things up from him?"
Yyriss shook his head, thus completely destroying his previous hair removal Services. "No." And perhaps that was worse.
Asche flipped the cloak over her shoulders and pulled off the shades. Still she needed to squint as her eyes adjusted.
Myrr tossed at Tracey and a wink at Asche. He took in Yyriss and the woman beside him. He hadn't seen her in a very long time. A nod and a grunt came from Asche for Myrr. Neither she nor Williams had said they were on official business. Suited her just fine. She moved on then paused to rub her knee.
"You all right, Asche?" Myrr asked. She looked at her and chuckled. "Or is dating floors routine for you now? That would be bad. I am a little out of practice at nursing." Ah. There's a grin.
Well, you know Asche didn't have a sense of humor. She scowled, lifted up one hand. "I'm fine."
Someone was in the stairwell, reading. Studying anatomy. The platysma muscle descends to second or third rib ... together with the supraclavicular nerves it ... Oh gods. She flipped a few pages in the ancient text. It was *all* like that. Every page. And she had thirty to read today!
Yyriss shifted uncomfortably. "Can we go now? It's too loud in here."
"I can't understand why?" A smirk. Gasp. Was that a joke?
All her ghosties laughed.
She rolled her eyes and moved to the big front desk.
The duty nurse, a young fellow, leapt up from his chair to meet Asche as she approached the desk.
There was a quiet moan from the stairwell as Erin put her head in her hands. Maybe she
just needed a break. Yes, that's the answer!
"Because no one will let me anymore." She coughed back a quiet laugh. "Yes, we can go," she told Yyriss. So she looked a bit thinner, paler, than she had before. Good thing she knew how to style her hair, otherwise, one might see that it had thinned too.
Asche noticed, of course, she rarely missed a pale and wan tone...but she also didn't say anything. Wasn't her business unless she was Myrr's doc. She grinned, feral at the nurse and swept by him to the terminal.
Trace hadn't seen Myri for so long, that he noticed the difference almost immediately.
The book was set aside and the slight one in T-shirt, shorts and socks, got to her feet.
Yyriss lifted dark eyes to her. "And you're sure the tests were what they should be?"
Myrrinn nodded and patted his hand. "Well within normal limits. Now stop it. You're annoying me. I'm fine. We've larger, problems now."
Trace was still standing near the doors, brushing lightly at his clothing. He picked a bit of something off his shoulder, wanted to pretend not to hear. And couldn't help but speak, "There are always bigger problems, Myri."
"When's your next..." He started to say, then shut up.
"Yyriss, don't make me have to slap you." Then she turned to look at Tracey. "Depends on your perspective."
Then she keyed up whatever records Elliot had in its d-base about Myrr's medical records. It was good to be the queen. In there, Elliot would note that Dr. Rittinn Malloyy had signed out some chemo medication some time back.
Stairwell door...opened. Two dark eyes peeked out. No one in the hall! A quick dash down that same hall and then she slid on her socks. Right into the lobby.
The nurse, Joey, watched Asche for a long moment. Find anything out there? Trace was watching them both, quietly. He shifted his gaze as someone, (had he met her before, he wondered) slid into the lobby.
"Death is a pretty big problem." Yyriss muttered under his breath.
Myrrinn slapped his arm.
Interesting. She looked over her shoulder at Joey. She was covered in a fine layer of reddish dust. "Cholera. I found cholera."
The studying had zapped her brain, you see. She wasn't always like this. She looked around a little embarrassed. All eyes were on her now. "Um. Heh."
"You know, Erin..." Myri intoned, her gaze following the younger woman, all kinds of amused at her. "One would think that Rory got you back for your little... incident."
Immediately drawn back by Yyriss' comment. "Death is all around us, Yyriss." he took a step closer to the man he had known once with brotherly intimacy. "It's a common enough thing. If you want to be specific ... that's different." He let his eyes slide toward Myri.
Myrrinn caught Tracey's look and held it but for a moment.
Yyriss took a step back and held his head. "No. I don't." Too loud! Do you have to think so loud, Tracey!?
I am out of practice... He inclined his head at Yyriss. "Easy... sorry."
Asche blanked the screen and turned. She leaned back against the desk and cocked an ear to what a ghost was saying to her.
Erin darted a quick sheepish glance around, and then she looked at Myri and smiled. "Rory loves me."
The Nurse at the desk backed up from Asche a step and turned his own interest toward the stocking slider. He grinned at Erin.
A hug was given to the Sinlarshh, a grin at Yyriss, then she noted the nurse looking at her and chuckled. A flush was spreading along her cheeks. "It's the studying. Really."
"He was just saying that the other day about you, Erin." She grinned and winked affectionately at her. The hug was returned warmly. "Boo."
Yyriss flapped a hand at him and glared. "Shut up!" He hissed quietly. And it had nothing to do with verbal speech either.
Trace did his best to pull his thoughts in, except for one that wanted to batter at Yyriss' brain. It was hard to hold. Yyriss flailed and mentally limped towards the hallway.
"Oh lovely. See what you did?" Myrrin said with mock menace to Tracey.
Nurse Joey Baccus looked Erin over. "Need some help with that studying?" His grin was intended to be infectious.
She blew some hair out of her eyes. "No. I need help getting *away* from it." and laughed a little
"I'm good for that too," Joey told her. "There are lots of little places in the hospital to get away to in the heat." He leaned forward, arms on the desk, crumpling some paper work as he did so.
"Yeah? Like where?" Erin tilted her head. She'd done lots of exploring, but there could be places she'd missed.
Absently, Asche smacked Joey on the shoulder. "Stop that." But she wasn't really listening to the conversation between the two young people. "I don't have water to spare..." She wandered away. "Could have them boil... but that means fuel..." She stopped right by the door to the bays...planning.
Erin took a quick look at Asche when she smacked Joey. Then she chuckled. Joey wasn't sure which thing Asche was telling him to stop, but he straightened up and sidled away from the grumpy Medic to speak in a low tone to Erin. "Downstairs..." he whispered. "Really a lot cooler down there."
"Downstairs?" Erin whispered full of curiosity. Now there she had never been. A little conspiratorial look came across her face. "What all is down there?"
Joey grinned and reached across the desk to gesture with his hand in an equally conspiratorial fashion. Softly he said, "Cool rooms, old loungers... quiet places to sit back, relax... even some dried food stores." His voice dropped even more low on the last three words.
"No way!" Erin had never heard of this. She leaned in closer matching his very soft tone. "Dried food?" She wanted to go. Right this minute.
"Ya gotta be careful see," Joey said "some of it's sorted out for getting rid of... but some of it's just fine... I devised a system for figureing it out." He was proud of himself, clever boy that he was.
"What's your system?" Erin's ark eyes sparkled with interest. She was curious about anything and everything.
Joey gave her a big grin. "I taste it. If I get sick, I don't eat anymore." He was teasing, at least, maybe he was.
She stared. Then burst out laughing. "Will you taste mine for me too then?" She leaned against the desk, face rich in mirth.
"Oh... yeahh," he nodded vigorously. "I gotta work another hour, but then I could show ya. Ya game?" He was still smiling, very hopeful.
A Person of instant decision, she straightened up. "Yes. I am game." Exploration... trouble... it was all-good to her.
"Decent!" He scrunched his shoulders up then in a 'uh oh, I better not be too loud' gesture. "You prolly got other stuff ta do too. Just meet me back by the elevators in an hour, 'kay?"
She nodded quickly. Yes, she had other stuff to do. Like study. Argh. "Meet ya then!"
"Great." His big grin showed his uneven but clean teeth and he started whistling as he went back to work... most of which he'd done already. The hot days were often slow, no one did anything much to get hurt. And the heat stroke and heat exhaustion cases didn't need his attention. He was just the duty nurse
==
Myri needed to talk to Asche, but she needed to make sure Yyriss wasn't going to spontaneously combust first. Poor guy had enough on his mind without having to be screamed at by Tracey. Or so Myrr thought. Tracey wasn't screaming, Yyriss just took it that way... he was far more sensitive than in the old days. He let out a soft sigh.
"I can go after him." he offered to Myri and find out more of what I wanna know...
"You think too loudly, Teej." Myrr chuckled, an old habit slipping out with ease. "Just let him be for a moment. You know how he is." Then again... No, you really shouldn't know, should you?
"I used to know a lot of things." He fixed her with a considering gaze.
Ooooo. Plum eyes slid back and locked to his. "So did I."
Damn. Asche was wandering again. "Asche?" Again with the head turn over Myrr's shoulder. "Before you leave, or before I do, I did want to talk to you."
Asche heard her name and looked about. "Who said my name?"
Myri raised her hand. "Me."
Trace reigned in his thoughts, effectively, and sighed again. There were things he'd say to Myri if he could, but here? Not likely... Quietly he informed her, "I've merely discovered the older I get, the less I know."
"You should hear, Leesi. She knows everything."
Heedless of any conversation Myrr might be having, Asche strolled over, bound and determined to butt in. At the mention of his daughter's name, Trace felt his innards tighten. He watched Asche approach, his eyes finally seeing normally again.
"What do ya want?" Asche Demanded.
Myri let out a random snicker then she blew a kiss to Asche. "I love you too, dear. I had a question for you."
"What?" Finally working the gloves off her fingers, Asche looked at things that weren't there. At least things no one else could see.
"One of the things I am attempting to set-up back home is a clinic. More than a field station, but less than a hospital." She scratched at the needlemark on her arm, so expertly covered with a bandaid. "I was wondering if I might be able to send people here to train?"
Asche crossed her arms beneath her breasts and shook her head firmly. "Nope."
"Easy enough. Now may I ask why?"
Trace's brows shot up as he listened to the conversation between Myri and Asche.
"We ain't got time to train folks who ain't gonna stay, Myrr. I need them here. If we're gonna train someone, they're gonna stay here."
"What about on a rotating basis? Reciprocal trade? I take the ones I get from other Hospitals around my area, let them train here, let them bring you back new things?" Things being: implements, research, information, anything. She chuckled and folded her arms in an imitation of Asche. "That is my offer. I keep them for half the year. When I send them to you, they bring you what they've acquired." In any way.
She just shook her head. "Won't work, Myrr. You're too political now. You know just as I do that politics won't let me." She shrugged.
Meanwhile, back at the proverbial ranch, Yyriss was slumped -- but still standing! -- Against a wall, holding his head. He was trying to block things out, get a grip again. Not that he ever really had much of one to begin with. His psionic power brought thoughts in from all over and the man had nearly gone mad with the thoughts that battered him day and night.
Trace excused himself gracefully. Years of practice made this possible. He then made his slow, cautious way toward Yyriss, his thoughts kept firmly his own. Myri said something to him about looking like he needed water. He responded with, "Yes, good idea..." mumbled over his shoulder, but kept his course on Yyriss.
"This has nothing to do with politics, Asche." The conversation in the lobby continued. "This has to do with trying to improve things all the way around."
"All the way around what, Myrr? I train non-union... my best bet is that a quarter of them may stay. Hell, I train Union personnel, I don't even get that much reward. I start throwing in with Perdoxx and I lose patients." She shrugged. Again.
Erin took note of Myrrinn talking to Asche. There was another man here too, one she sort of recognized, but wasn't sure about. Either way she didn't return to studying. She chewed on a fingernail, then moved towards the doors to look out. She was still listening though.
"You get better, new ways of treating. My medical staff receives training they would not get elsewhere. Cannot get elsewhere." There was a little flare in her expression. "I am not Perdoxxiann." She then suggested what the Church of the Nuclear Messiah could do with itself and said that they knew that was her position. Half their force was on her soil and she'd as much as said so in a letter on Sidd Neverr's desk. Then Myrrinn gave Asche a bright smile.
"Oh, you're not. So what? You ceceding?"
"That is the plan, yes." It was widely known that the Y'tallishh Province never really considered themselves a part of Perdoxx. That didn't mean Sidd considered them a free state. It was a difficult balance.
"Great. So I throw in with you and get the Church hot up my skirt."
She shook her head. "Won't do that way either."
"Are you saying I am not welcome here?" She teased.
As Erin looked out, the air seemed to shimmer and waver outside. It looked entirely too thick to walk through, at least to her. Maybe she wouldn't go out for a smoke. She glanced over her shoulder at Myrrinn.
"I'm saying I can't train your people. I'm sorry." Was that an apology from Asche?
"And with over half of the Church army under my command, I doubt too much of them will be hot up your..." She looked Asche up and down. "Skirt. But..." She shrugged and smiled. "I understand. I had to at least try."
Joey was thinking that someone should be hot up Asche's skirt.
Maybe she wouldn't be so grumpy then. But it was a passing thought as he got back to work.
"I'm sorry." She said it again and turned away. To go, somewhere ... some place someone would understand her. There weren't very many places like that she'd found.
"Don't be, Asche. It's all right... really."
Asche said nothing else and went through the door into the bays.
Erin sent speculative glance Joey's way too. Just a quick one, before she turned to stare outside again. Joey took a stack of doctor signed papers and began entering information into Elliot via a terminal. Tappity tap tap tap tap. Tappity tap tap... the sound of fluid typing and then... BEEEP! "Oh damn..." Beep-beep. "What'd I do?? Elliott..." the computer answered onscreen, he was in silent running mode on speakers "Oh crap."
Myrrinn, left alone, clearly heard Yyriss' voice from down the hall. Yyriss was telling Trace that he 'should have been there' and arched a brow. Oh Yyriss. Don't go there. We've been through this. She walked to Erin by the doors and just leaned her head on her shoulder and chuckled. "Man has the world's best timing, I swear."
Erin simply smiled and ran a hand over Myrrinn's hair. "Makes things interesting, hon."
Myrrinn whispered back to her. "Things are interesting enough, don't you think?" She heard rapidly falling footsteps and looked up. She reined in a few possibilities that presented themselves to her. Then she noted Trace following. Hm. That might be better. A ponderous look weighed down her expression.
At Joey's curse, Erin giggled softly and peered over at him. Then she nodded. "Yeah. Maybe you're right." She bumped her head lightly against Myrrinn's. "Do I know him?" She asked quietly of the man who was following after Yyriss. "I think I've seen him before. Carnivale. Or something. I don't know." She shrugged.
"He was at Carnivale." Oh, that fateful celebration. "He is Allissa's biological father."
"Ohhh." She had nothing more to say to that. Nothing that would be helpful.
==
From beneath a perpetually stringy waterfall of hair, Yyriss shot a look at Tracey. He still wasn't sure about some things, regardless of time passed. Oh hell. Yyriss looked more furtive than he did before.
Trace's thoughts were a controlled wall, nothing more than a mass of flesh moving toward the other man, his hands up in a placating gesture. "Don't rabbit... ol' man. Just wanna talk." Nothing leaked out to bother his one time friend, he put in extra effort to make sure of that... presented a calming, soothing front... as if he were cool water.
Yyriss knitted his hands first in front of himself, then behind. He took a deep breath. OK. Not so loud now. Good. Quiet was good. "Okay."
"How have you been?" The only emotions that came through were those on his face, genuine, warm concern and a gentle smile.
Yyriss shrugged and wouldn't look at him. Couldn't. Not yet. Still some unresolved issues there that he was struggling with. "Been here." Which was to say, he'd been rotten as of late.
Trace reached up to touch Yyriss and halted before doing so, his fingers rubbed against his thumb and he lowered his arm, clasping his own hands behind his back. "Here? They're taking proper care of you...?"
Yyriss plastered himself back against the wall, squishing fingers so that a knuckle cracked. "Not here. Just. Here."
Softly, Trace said, "I wish I understood. I am sorry I've not kept up. You deserved that from me." Trace really looked sorry too.
An uncharacteristic outburst from Yyriss followed. Well, a rare one anyway. "You should be and yes I ... we ... did." He bit his lip and fought not to let it all come out.
This time Trace did touch him. "I am sorry. I know I dropped the proverbial ball. You've every right to say what you feel to me." His fingers were light on Yyriss' arm and his sparkly flecked blue eyes avoided looking into his on purpose. He didn't want to appear to be attempting anything.
Yyriss flinched as if struck and with a burst of speed, tore off down the hallway. If Tracey followed him, he just might get an earful.
He cursed softly, what else could he do but follow? The man was one of two who were like brothers to him. Had been brothers... and he'd broken faith with them. He followed, getting some exercise today was going to be the plan. Off down a corridor Tracey followed, a glance left and right gave him a glimpse of wild black hair. "Yyriss! Wait..." The pro tem leader of the Fellowship dashed off after him.
==
Joey slapped the keyboard once, blinked, and realized he'd tried to enter something too long. He adjusted it, pressed enter and smiled triumphantly.
Myrrinn looked at the equipment-abusing nurse. "That sounds sooooo familiar."
Erin chuckled as she looked at Joey. "Yeah, very familiar."
"Where did Asche go?"
"Where does Asche always go?" The bays, or so Erin thought. She hadn't been paying too close attention. Something she was often guilty of when she wasn't on the job.
Myrrinn walked to the desk and looked at the man's nametag. "Why don't you and I and Joey here, go find out?"
Why not, that's what Erin's shrug said. "Sure." Not like she was busy.
"Who me?" Joey says "I'm not supposed to leave th' desk..." He smiled though.
"Not that my former authority here means anything anymore, but you are escorting a patient on a walk to make sure that she is all right to go home after testing." She grinned and offered her arm.
Well, Marshall had left the desk the other day. There was all kinds of talk about that still. "Sure you can." Erin told Joey. Just to cause trouble.
And Joey had it one up on Marshall. He was leaving the desk with *two* women. "Awright," Joey stood, turned the tables and offered his arm to both ladies. He'd heard about Doc Demoss abdication and smiled kinda broadly. "Where to first, ladies?"
"To the bays?" Myrrin asked with raised brows.
Erin laughed and took one of Joey's arms. "We have an escort." She winked at Myrrinn.
"Ah, but does he dance?" The winkling light of wickedness was in Myrrinn's eyes.
"We could find out." She had a sudden image of Asche finding her desk nurse dancing with the Sinlarshh. Erin was used to this. You never knew exactly what would happen when Myrrinn was around.
"You bet I do, ma'am. Do you?" he didn't know who she was... amazing, ain't it?
"Oh, do I dance." She chuckled in a way that was almost... dark. She strolled with Erin and Joey, just as carefree as could be.
"This way." And he struck off with two lovely ladies, Eat your heart out Demoss! toward Asche's inner sanctum. Oh was he in for it. Down the corridor, Joey pointed out a thing or two that he had no clue they knew ten times better than he did. And Erin nodded as if she'd never noticed any of it before. And smiled.
Myrrinn nodded appreciatively. Like she didn't know this place inside and out. "You are good at this, Joey." Hers was a flirtatious smile.
Joey blushed and guided them toward the bays by way of not the longest, nor the shortest route, but a route that was Just Right. It gave him time to be envied by every orderly they passed. Myri cast Erin a wink. See? I can always make them blush.
"Why exactly now are we going to see Asche?" Not that Erin minded. But she was wondering.
"Because I revel in annoying her."
Samm, one of those orderlies, gawked as they went by. So did Maxx. Only he chuckled.
"Ohhh. That reason." She smiled sweetly at Maxx and Samm as they passed by.
And then they were there... the Bays. "Here are the doors, ladies." Joey smiled.
"Why thank you sir." Myrr said as if they were at some formal event.
"Are you coming in with us?" Erin asked as though she was any less trouble.
He looked nervous at that idea did our Joey. "If Nurse Drachenn sees me, I'm dead."
"Hmm. Can't have that. Who'd take me on my tour later." She bumped up against Joey a little as she said it.
Joey blushed and ducked his head, brown hair drifting thickly toward his forehead, though his haircut was short, and it was dense like some men were blessed with. His brown eyes glittered. "I'll see you after shift then..." and he stood a second longer before walking off down the hall like a peacock.
"Thank you..." Erin called after him.
Myri stood up on her tiptoes. Not like it made any real difference in height or anything and peered through the little circular glass. "Ooo." She let out a quiet giggle as she lowered herself back down. "Looky there. Ms. Mirandahh is on a date."
"Huh? What?" She stood up to peek too. Oh wow.
Myri leaned up to whisper to her, but well out of the way of the windows. "Think we should crash it?"
"No!" she hissed with a giggle. "Behave yourself Myrrinn!" Hah, yeah right.
==
It was through the... er... well, through some doors or other that he burst, that Yyriss. He heard, but didn't stop until he was standing in the middle of what used to be an exercise room evidently. He was panting; eyes ticking back and forth like a typewriter's ball under the command of a 100-wpm expert.
Trace's well made boots slid to a stop at the door, leaving black marks on the floor. He looked across the threshold to how Yyriss just stood there. He watched the poor man fret. He was close to going to pieces. Always had been in a way. Now it was just worse.
Trace moved into the room, slowly, didn't dare touch him again. "C'mon Yyriss. You have something you want to say, you should bloody well say it." He wasn't the least bit angry.
Yyriss paced. To. Fro. To again. Hands raked through his hair. He stopped -- finally -- a few feet away. "You..." His voice shook. "I..." Damn. "You're not you! And I want you to be, but you're not! So why would you care that she's" errant hand flip here "got cancer, had, whatever! And that D's off somewhere, gods knows where, looking for a son he didn't know he had and I can't do a thing about it." What it boiled down to was that he was scared. He cursed.
"Yyriss..." Trace breathed it out. "You're right. Things happened that were completely my fault but that I couldn't change. I did try. I suppose I wasn't as strong as you thought me."
He'd lost Trace. He was worried about losing Myrrinn and Dolann. That would leave him with... nothing. Dorriann, maybe, but they didn't exactly 'share time'.
"Even though I didn't ... couldn't be what I should have been, Yyriss," Trace said, "I'm here if you need me. I really am. D will be all right." He didn't know things... hadn't known about Myri's cancer... how had he missed that? Gods... D has a son?
Yyriss shook his head. A lot. "Didn't even get a chance to know you otherwise. You left... didn't give us that." He backed up into a corner. "No." More head shaking. "Can't be here. You don't understand." D having a son wasn't something anyone knew about either. He didn't seem to realize he'd just told Tracey about it.
"Tell me, then, if I don't understand." Trace pleaded softly. He didn't defend himself, what was the point? "What are you afraid of?"
Yyriss had spent too much time around D over the years. "You leaving again."
"I can't be there, Yyriss. I ... want to be, but I can't, yet. But I'm not leaving here. I've always been here..." Trace spread his hands.
A glance flickered up at Tracey quickly. For a moment, there was calm inside Yyriss' head. "I never did."
Softly, Tracey nodded. "You never did."
He stood slowly from his crouch and started to walk. "Go back to your woman, T..." He almost called him 'Twig'. Trace knew it too. "Trace." No. Do not let tears show. Hang it all, he still loved the man. "Come back when you're ready."
"We're going to have a child." He told Yyriss, because Yyriss was ... family.
Yyriss didn't look at him. "Good for you. Happy for you. Really. At least some of us can still." Shuffle towards the door.
"Yyriss... please. When I can hand the fellowship back ... then I can bring Joy and the baby and maybe get a chance to be who I was. I can't be sure I'll ever be completely who you knew, but I'm still me." He didn't try to stop him, however. Didn't touch him again, didn't stand in his way.
"Never happen, Twig. It'll never happen. Can't bring the past back." Sullenly. "Can't be who you were. Angel," he'd heard that name often lately, "doesn't need to be around a baby yet. Too much of a reminder." He shook his head. "Maybe... maybe I'll come see you before I... leave."
"It was enough to secure my love in return. What more do you want... ?" his face twisted into puzzlement. Leave? Where are you going, Yyriss?
Yyriss looked at him for a moment longer. "I want everyone to be well. I want everyone to be here." Together, he meant. "I want my family."
"You don't have to leave. Maybe we can't bring back the past, I
don't think I even want to, Yyriss. But we can build on who we are. Sometimes loving
someone is enough."
He stopped then and found Tracey's eyes, lazer sharp. "Sometimes, it's not. We loved you. And it wasn't enough." Time. Maybe in time.
Whisper quiet, little ghost, corporeal for all that no one saw her.
Pale with bone white hair, dressed in hospital clothes. confined
to the cool building. She drifted down corridors, lonely, looked over...turning the corner. And hungry. Always hungry. On an IV even now and even with that contraption following her, no bothered to look at her or tell her she shouldn't be going in there.
And then Elliott paged Yyriss him, and he left the room to find his way back to the lobby.
Little ghost watched the dark-haired man walk by her.
Trace would have said more... that they could be together, all of them, when things were better, safer, when the Fellowship was in strong hands. Hands stronger than his own that could hold the world together.
Trace leaned up against the wall in the old PT room... resting his head against the wall and looking up at the rigging that used to hold stronger equipment.
Little ghostie peeked into that PT room silvered eyes wide.
Trace rolled his head on the wall, and looked at the door. His life was here, his Joy. He smiled softly and went to her, asking if she were hungry. He would care for her before his own needs. Perhaps, they were one and the same.
==
Adriann had been waiting for Asche there in the bays... It was like she was expecting him. She didn't even flinch as she caught sight of 'Riann.
There was an oh-so-sweet smile all for Asche on 'Riann's face. "I thought we should have a picnic." He hadn't touched a thing in her bay, except that he'd found
a table cloth in Laundry and raided the kitchen for food, not a lot, just their fair share that they'd have eaten anyway... He borrowed two chairs and stacked it all on a couple of boxes.
She took a deep breath and set her kit down, next to her feet. "A picnic." Her icy blue gaze washed over the fare. "It looks... good."
"Dunno about good," Adriann coudln't stop grinning. "But sharing with you, that's very good." She flung her cloak off and draped the cloak over the bumper. Adriann moved over to a chair and held it out for her. "Madame?"
She smiled, a short-lived thing. She was more nervous than anything. Yet, she took a seat. "Thanks... Kinda gotta eat fast. I came across some cholera while I was out..."
"Cholera?" Adriann looked immediately worried. "Where? Can you contain it do you think?" epidemic, shot through his head. Adriann moved around to his own chair.
She shook her head, then tilted it a moment as if listening to something. Then she looked to bay doors, blue eyes piercing.
"Gotta get these people to boil their damn water."
"But once they've got it, what can you do?" He wasn't sure he could eat knowing there was cholera, but he'd brought out some nice stuff... tender meat in smooth gravy... blanched veggies... some bread.. water.
She squinted at the doors for a moment longer. Then the hospital food set her stomach grumbling.
He followed her gaze to the doors. "What is it?" Ghosts? he thought, but didn't ask.
"Someone was at the door." She frowned and sighed at the same time. So talented.
'Riann came back from peering out the small window. "No one there now." They settled in to eat lunch.
==
Erin ducked down. Fast. Ut oh. Myrrinn said in an almost silent whisper, "She see you or something?"
"I think so. She looked this way!" Or maybe not. Erin was paranoid.
"Hell!" She grabbed Erin's hand and darted... thatta way! Thwapping her with the other. "Dammit, Erin!" Thought we taught you better than that!
She laughed as Myrrinn dragged her off. "I'm out of practice! That's all!"
Myri didn't laugh until they were back out in the lobby. And then, she fell over the desk to do it.
Erin flopped into a chair nearby and chuckled. "I don't do much of this with Ren, see." That made her laugh harder.
"Now that is not fair, Erin. I have always found Ren to be a delight of adventurous excursions, fraught with humor!" The real question was... how did she say that all with a straight face?
The younger woman snorted with laughter. Just lost it, sliding out of the chair onto the ground. So dignified. So elegant. Graceful. It was no wonder that Ren often just...stared at her. Myrrinn flopped back over onto the desk. Hit the chair. Stayed, thankfully, in a fit of snickers that would not quit.
Joey wasn't back at the desk yet, he was chatting with Samm and Maxx at this point.
Maxx chuckled and Samm grinned at Joey. "That was quick." One of them said.
"Hey," Joey said proudly "I'm just priming the pump... gonna meet one of them later."
Samm asked, "Which one? Can I take the other one?"
"You have to ask her, man." He nudged Samm with a grin.
Samm grinned and puffed out his chest. Yeah. I'm gonna ask her! He didn't get a good look at who it was, but that didn't matter. Woman!
Joey slapped Samm on the shoulder. "Hey, I gotta get back." And he headed back to the lobby desk, grinning all the way.
==
Erin sighed happily, letting the laughter fade away. "How long you in town, Myrrinn? Erikk didn't say." Erikk was her brother who was in almost constant contact with Myrrinn.
"At least a week or so, Erin." Finding composure was not easy. It was amazing she didn't get more of those stares too. "At least a week. Or until Dorriann decides to kill Jarrodd, whichever comes first."
"Talked to D lately? Erikk has just been all sick over the whole thing.
Worried I mean."
At that, Myrrinn grew thoughtful. "I have not seen him since he left."
She still sat on the floor,but leaned back against a chair. "I think Erikk goes out looking for him some nights."
She glanced at a chrono left on the desk and her eyes flew open as she cursed. "Elliott!" Then back to calm, nice, collected. "Please inform Yyriss that it is time to go."
"I think Erikk needs to stop doing that." She said to Erin.
"You tell him that. He doesn't listen to me."
Myrrinn fixed Erin with a playful look of determination. "I will." And she would too!
Yyriss came walking back in then, head down. He just took Myrrinn's hand and tugged her towards the door. "Let's go."
"Good! Hey, see you at the Embassy later, yes? I'm cooking!"
Now that was a frown of worry over Myri's face at Yyriss. "All right... we are going." Then a wink at Erin. "You better believe you are. We will kick out the men." Myri winked at her again and was being pulled toward the door.
By this time Joey had made his way back to the lobby and overheard that last bit between them. He stared at Erin. "You cook? Dis keeps gettin' better an' better."
"Will do." She grinned, then said to Joey, "Well. Yes." Sort of. Often it was edible!
"Awright!" he couldn't be happier.
And out they went. Yyriss didn't say a thing to Myrrinn until some time after they were already 'home' and had been sitting in the living room, with her staring at him.
