Shelter
This is Part Thirty in The Meeting of Breccan & Finbar.
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Before Nico and I could find a way to combat the shadowy threat, we had to contend with our hosts. One afternoon, we sat around their tiny kitchen table, sipping strong black tea. Nem and Alex didn’t care for coffee, which I had to admit disconcerted me at first. I had quickly grown used to drinking it at Maris’ house, but we weren’t at Maris’ house anymore.
What Nem and Alex lacked in tea, they, unfortunately, made up for in pure curiosity. A few days had passed without any questioning on their part, but Alex had grown rather suspicious of us and demanded answers that afternoon.
He rested his forearms on the edge of the table and steepled his fingers. “So, would you two like to tell me where exactly you’re from? I must admit I’m rather curious, and if you’re going to be staying here...well, I think I ought to know something about you. It’s only fair.”
Nem gasped, his eyes going wide. “Alex! Shouldn’t you be more respectful?”
Alex shrugged, reaching for his tea and taking a sip. “I’m being perfectly respectful, Nem. I just think I should know something about our houseguests.”
“Isn’t it their business where they’re from?” Nem asked.
“Perhaps,” Alex muttered, learning his forearms on the table again, “but I would like to know why they have to stay with us. What are these ‘circumstances’ that forced them out of their previous home? And why does a god need a home in the mortal realm, anyway? I’m just curious. No disrespect intended.”
“I -- have business here,” Nico said. He cringed and seemed to shrink in on himself. I offered him my hand, which he took.
“Do you?” Alex murmured. Something strange flashed in his eyes; I couldn’t read the expression, but it made me feel uneasy.
“I’m not sure it’s such a good idea to interrogate a god, Alex,” Nem said nervously before sipping his tea.
Alex himself just looked at us, patiently waiting for an answer. My stomach clenched; Nico and I had to provide something or the man wouldn’t quit, I knew. I took another sip of my tea, hoping to come up with a proper answer for our hosts.
Nico looked down at the table. He held his teacup with the hand that wasn’t in my own. Clearly, he had no good answer to give, either. “We -- we had a dispute with a friend of the person we were staying with,” he whispered.
I knew exactly what “dispute” he meant.
Would Nem and Alex realize Nico wasn’t behaving anything like an ordinary god? I thought Alex must have figured that out, or he wouldn’t be as suspicious as he was.
“A dispute? Over what?” Alex raised an eyebrow as he sipped his tea.
“I -- I would rather not say,” Nico stammered, looking down at the table.
Alex’s relaxed posture didn’t match the strange hardness in his eyes. He said, “Nem and I have disputes all the time, but I don’t kick him out of the house.”
Nem cracked a smile, his eyes twinkling. “You know the landlord likes me better, anyway.”
“Yeah, he does,” Alex snorted. “It must be because you’re so cute.”
Nem giggled at Alex’s comment. He looked away from the other man, seeming embarrassed and flattered at the same time.
“I chose to leave because of this dispute,” I said, trying to sit up as straight as I could. I looked Nem in the eyes, because he didn’t intimidate me as much as Alex did. Technically, what I said wasn’t a lie, as I hadn’t been kicked out of the house and had chosen to follow Nico of my own free will. Maybe I made it look like leaving were something of both our choices, Alex would leave us alone?
“Hmm, you two seem awfully...avoidant about this dispute of yours,” Alex murmured. He gazed at us levelly, causing Nico to shrink further into himself. Alex took a deep breath and seemed to consider his next words carefully. “Breccan, if you’re on the run from some kind of crime, I think my partner and I ought to know, yes?”
I wasn’t the one who had committed any crime. Again, I sipped my tea, hoping to collect my thoughts enough to deflect suspicion. It seemed hopeless as Alex continued to look at us.
“I -- I...” Nico stammered. He shook, looking like he was on the verge of breaking. I gave his hand a squeeze to offer what strength I could, but I had little, if any, strength to spare.
“You what?” Alex wondered. His voice was smooth and steely. Nem watched us with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe his partner were challenging a god. I couldn’t believe it myself.
My stomach knotted itself. “None of us have done anything that will have police or any other gods after you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I said.
“I -- got into a fight with another god,” Nico mumbled while fiddling with his teacup. He gripped my hand hard enough for it to be painful. “He -- the other god didn’t -- didn’t survive.”
Alex almost dropped his teacup. “You -- you what? Why -- how are you still...” His composure slipped, and I remembered how he had dropped what he was holding when we met him at the bar. Alex may not have respected gods, or at least not respected Nico, but the man could be startled.
“You mean how am I still a god, don’t you?” Nico sighed. “The Gods Council -- it was attacked during my trial, and Breccan and one of my other companions saved them. I was -- pardoned, because of what they did.” His eyes shined with tears, and I felt an odd sort of guilt because I knew how much Nico wanted to be made human.
“So you really are a hero, Breccan,” Nem breathed. I wished he would stop with the “hero” talk.
“Is this true?” Alex asked, his composure regained with no traces of having lost it.
Not looking anyone in the eye, I said, “It’s all true.”
“This is connected to the shadow threat, isn’t it?” Nem said nervously.
I nodded. “It is, as far as we call tell.”
Nico’s shoulders slumped. “Are you -- are you still going to permit us to stay here, knowing what you do?”
“We will, for now,” Alex murmured. “If the Gods Council pardoned you...” I didn’t like the way he let his statement trail away into the air.
“So, is that what the dispute was about?” Nem wanted to know
I couldn’t lie with my words, but I managed a small nod. I would let the two men think the “dispute” was about Nico’s murder of Egan, as I doubted Nem and Alex would be so understanding of the real reason we were kicked out. How difficult would Nico’s secret be to keep, though? It needed to stay hidden; our shelter depended on that.
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written for 500themes prompt #459 - "The Life Inside"
next chapter
previous chapter
---------
Before Nico and I could find a way to combat the shadowy threat, we had to contend with our hosts. One afternoon, we sat around their tiny kitchen table, sipping strong black tea. Nem and Alex didn’t care for coffee, which I had to admit disconcerted me at first. I had quickly grown used to drinking it at Maris’ house, but we weren’t at Maris’ house anymore.
What Nem and Alex lacked in tea, they, unfortunately, made up for in pure curiosity. A few days had passed without any questioning on their part, but Alex had grown rather suspicious of us and demanded answers that afternoon.
He rested his forearms on the edge of the table and steepled his fingers. “So, would you two like to tell me where exactly you’re from? I must admit I’m rather curious, and if you’re going to be staying here...well, I think I ought to know something about you. It’s only fair.”
Nem gasped, his eyes going wide. “Alex! Shouldn’t you be more respectful?”
Alex shrugged, reaching for his tea and taking a sip. “I’m being perfectly respectful, Nem. I just think I should know something about our houseguests.”
“Isn’t it their business where they’re from?” Nem asked.
“Perhaps,” Alex muttered, learning his forearms on the table again, “but I would like to know why they have to stay with us. What are these ‘circumstances’ that forced them out of their previous home? And why does a god need a home in the mortal realm, anyway? I’m just curious. No disrespect intended.”
“I -- have business here,” Nico said. He cringed and seemed to shrink in on himself. I offered him my hand, which he took.
“Do you?” Alex murmured. Something strange flashed in his eyes; I couldn’t read the expression, but it made me feel uneasy.
“I’m not sure it’s such a good idea to interrogate a god, Alex,” Nem said nervously before sipping his tea.
Alex himself just looked at us, patiently waiting for an answer. My stomach clenched; Nico and I had to provide something or the man wouldn’t quit, I knew. I took another sip of my tea, hoping to come up with a proper answer for our hosts.
Nico looked down at the table. He held his teacup with the hand that wasn’t in my own. Clearly, he had no good answer to give, either. “We -- we had a dispute with a friend of the person we were staying with,” he whispered.
I knew exactly what “dispute” he meant.
Would Nem and Alex realize Nico wasn’t behaving anything like an ordinary god? I thought Alex must have figured that out, or he wouldn’t be as suspicious as he was.
“A dispute? Over what?” Alex raised an eyebrow as he sipped his tea.
“I -- I would rather not say,” Nico stammered, looking down at the table.
Alex’s relaxed posture didn’t match the strange hardness in his eyes. He said, “Nem and I have disputes all the time, but I don’t kick him out of the house.”
Nem cracked a smile, his eyes twinkling. “You know the landlord likes me better, anyway.”
“Yeah, he does,” Alex snorted. “It must be because you’re so cute.”
Nem giggled at Alex’s comment. He looked away from the other man, seeming embarrassed and flattered at the same time.
“I chose to leave because of this dispute,” I said, trying to sit up as straight as I could. I looked Nem in the eyes, because he didn’t intimidate me as much as Alex did. Technically, what I said wasn’t a lie, as I hadn’t been kicked out of the house and had chosen to follow Nico of my own free will. Maybe I made it look like leaving were something of both our choices, Alex would leave us alone?
“Hmm, you two seem awfully...avoidant about this dispute of yours,” Alex murmured. He gazed at us levelly, causing Nico to shrink further into himself. Alex took a deep breath and seemed to consider his next words carefully. “Breccan, if you’re on the run from some kind of crime, I think my partner and I ought to know, yes?”
I wasn’t the one who had committed any crime. Again, I sipped my tea, hoping to collect my thoughts enough to deflect suspicion. It seemed hopeless as Alex continued to look at us.
“I -- I...” Nico stammered. He shook, looking like he was on the verge of breaking. I gave his hand a squeeze to offer what strength I could, but I had little, if any, strength to spare.
“You what?” Alex wondered. His voice was smooth and steely. Nem watched us with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe his partner were challenging a god. I couldn’t believe it myself.
My stomach knotted itself. “None of us have done anything that will have police or any other gods after you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I said.
“I -- got into a fight with another god,” Nico mumbled while fiddling with his teacup. He gripped my hand hard enough for it to be painful. “He -- the other god didn’t -- didn’t survive.”
Alex almost dropped his teacup. “You -- you what? Why -- how are you still...” His composure slipped, and I remembered how he had dropped what he was holding when we met him at the bar. Alex may not have respected gods, or at least not respected Nico, but the man could be startled.
“You mean how am I still a god, don’t you?” Nico sighed. “The Gods Council -- it was attacked during my trial, and Breccan and one of my other companions saved them. I was -- pardoned, because of what they did.” His eyes shined with tears, and I felt an odd sort of guilt because I knew how much Nico wanted to be made human.
“So you really are a hero, Breccan,” Nem breathed. I wished he would stop with the “hero” talk.
“Is this true?” Alex asked, his composure regained with no traces of having lost it.
Not looking anyone in the eye, I said, “It’s all true.”
“This is connected to the shadow threat, isn’t it?” Nem said nervously.
I nodded. “It is, as far as we call tell.”
Nico’s shoulders slumped. “Are you -- are you still going to permit us to stay here, knowing what you do?”
“We will, for now,” Alex murmured. “If the Gods Council pardoned you...” I didn’t like the way he let his statement trail away into the air.
“So, is that what the dispute was about?” Nem wanted to know
I couldn’t lie with my words, but I managed a small nod. I would let the two men think the “dispute” was about Nico’s murder of Egan, as I doubted Nem and Alex would be so understanding of the real reason we were kicked out. How difficult would Nico’s secret be to keep, though? It needed to stay hidden; our shelter depended on that.
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written for 500themes prompt #459 - "The Life Inside"
next chapter