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Desert Grey 11
Merriam Hayden
WANDERER CAMP, KWAME’S WORK TENT
Angie is playing his piano while Gael sings, Kathy is sitting close to Angie while Gael is turned to a group of Wanderers outside the tent
Kathy turns to Kwame who’s working “Ama?”
“Yes, Kathy?”
“What is Gael singing?”
Kwame smiles all wistful “It’s a song of hope and overcoming difficult things. I’m glad Angie and Gael are making music. With that in addition to your plan it makes everything seem so possible.”
Kathy looks at Angie who turns and smiles at her causing her to blush all cute
ANDREW, JANET, AND OTHERS EXIT ANOTHER TENT WHICH FAIZAH EXITS LAST, she walks up to her hubby
“(How soon will this truck be ready?)”
“(I can get this one done in a day. Do you need more than one?)”
“(We can work with one. There’s still work to be down on our own vehicles.)”
Essien groans “(Don’t remind me. The only other fairly competent mechanic besides me is Kwame and she’s got her own projects to take care of. The novices are getting better, but they’re not fast enough.)”
Faizah hugs him “(Do you have any idea how much I appreciate you?)”
Essien hugs her back “(I’ve got an idea. Once we finally get everything settled…and resources stop being so scarce…)”
Faizah puts her hands over Essien’s as he places them on her stomach
Meanwhile Andrew is looking around for Elijah and spots him standing with Torrid at the edge of the Wanderer group around Kwame’s tent, everyone starts clapping as the song end, Andrew walks up to Elijah and grabs him by the arm to pull him away from the group
“*Where in the world have you been?!*”
“*I was performing my duty as a healer.*”
“*Do not lie to me! I checked the Healers Tent and didn’t find you there.*”
Elijah pulls his arm away “*I did not say I was there.*”
“*Do not coil away from my touch!*” Andrew tries to grab Elijah again, but Elijah pushes him away
Shit is intense, everyone is quiet and frightened except for Andrew and Elijah who are glaring at each other
Torrid lights a cigarette “Hey asshole! I just had a thought.”
Elijah has an AH SHIT NO expression while Andrew just looks confused “What, half-blood?”
“Elijah doesn’t seem to want you touching him so how about you fuck off.” Torrid takes a drag of his cigarette
Andrew gets all up in his face “And what gives you the right to decide that?”
“Perhaps the right is mine because I’ve begun to usurp your position…as Elijah’s man.”
Andrew grabs the front of Torrid’s shirt, but Elijah grabs Andrew and punches him, they fight for a while doing flips and shit, but they seem to be pretty evenly matched
“*So I have become undesirable to you? The bond we once shared means nothing to you? Do you not remember what happened to our tribe?!*” Andrew tries to guilt Elijah, but Elijah just glares and won’t take it anymore
“*Yes! I do remember! I probably remember it better than you do! While you hid your face in my neck, while all our other brothers covered their eyes, I forced my own eyes to stay open! I made myself watch from our hiding spot as our fathers were all slain by the Black and White soldiers! And the fate of our tribe was altered by that day! It changed you from young and brash to obsessed with vengeance. I was just too young to see how polluted your own soul had become even as you either got our brothers killed or simply drove them away by your self absorbed decisions!*”
As Elijah makes his speech images of what happened are shown
John has an arm around Michael and everyone looks concerned (even Torrid)
“*Would you challenge me to take over my position as leader of the Azuni tribe?*”
“*No…but I will no longer follow you which I should’ve done many years ago.*”
Andrew is pissed “*Fine!*”
People look on in horror as Andrew rips Elijah’s traditional tribal garb, including his pants “*You are no longer a member of the Azuni tribe. As of this moment you have no right to use our language or practice in our rituals.*”
“(Four people aren’t enough for a tribe much less enough to participate in our rituals.)”
“(Go. Just go!)”
Elijah walks off naked to somewhere he can get clothes
Michael walks up to Andrew, rips off his own garb and throws it at Andrew’s feet “(Without our Shaman the Azuni tribe is as good as dead. I will join my Brother in exile.)”
John walks up to Andrew as Michael follows Elijah
Andrew looks a little afraid “*Please John…don’t leave me too.*”
John sighs and throws down his own garb “(I’m sorry Brother. I cannot abandon Michael.)”
Andrew stands in amidst Wanderers and other tribes all alone, Faizah marches up to Andrew and looks down at the clothes “(Not that I mind a free show, but what the hell did you do?!)”
“(Leave me be, woman.)” Andrew skulks off
MEANWHILE AT ANOTHER TENT, some young girls giggle at getting to see naked men, Michael turns to John and Elijah
“*What are they giggling about?*”
John seems surprised “(Ah, Brother you shouldn’t-)”
“*Regardless of what Andrew says it’s our language too! I always felt that speaking it kept our fathers and brothers close to our hearts. At least to my heart. But what are those young girls giggling about? They don’t seem repulsed by us.*”
“*Brother…it’s something that you need not concern yourself with.*”
Elijah returns to his brothers from the tent with clothes for them
Torrid walks up to them “Hey…can we talk?”
Elijah looks annoyed, but sighs “Come.”
“You’ve already made me. Twice.”
“Hush!”
John and Michael put on pants
“*What did Torrid mean by that?*”
John facepalms
Torrid is smoking another cigarette as he and Elijah walk “Look…I’m sorry about what happened back there. If I misunderstood what we’ve got between I’m sorry-“
“No, Torrid. I care for you very deeply. I wouldn’t have protected you if I didn’t. But what were you thinking?!”
“Well it was about time someone tried to knock him on his ass! Even though I could only do it verbally. You were pretty adept at doing it literally though. Can I ask what the whole ripping off your clothes thing was about?”
Elijah looks down “It’s not a common thing to do when one is cast out of a tribe, but our numbers have dwindled to so few so it’s rare to see one wearing the blue and orange of the Azuni tribe. Without my garb I’ve been severed from it.”
“I think that’s more up to you than up to what you wear. What about that sister tribe you have? I take it they don’t face the same problem?”
“There are indeed more of them. It’s easier for them to keep their numbers up having the ability to have their own children.”
“I can’t imagine any of your tribe asking another tribe’s women to let you knock them up, nurse the resulting babies, and then taking the boys once they’ve been weened going very well.”
Elijah chuckles “I suppose I should be angry with you.”
“Yeah, if you want to hit me-“
“I don’t. Far from it.” Elijah kisses him “But you still need a counselor.”
“Isn’t it bad form to counsel someone you’re sleeping with?”
“Perhaps you could think of me as a lover who is trying to help you then. I would love to hear about your past, tragic as it may be.”
Torrid takes Elijah’s hands “And it sounds like you have some things you need to unload about your own past.”
“You probably didn’t understand what I was saying back there did you?”
“My Gaan is pretty rusty though that didn’t sound like Gaan at all.”
“I can teach you.”
“Later.” Torrid kisses him
Angie runs up to them “Torrid! Elijah! What are you-oh! Oh…um…do I need to leave you two alone?”
Torrid scoops up Angie “Nah. Stick around for a while…I get the feeling you could use some father figures in your life.”
“So…do I have two dads now? Cuz that would great! Cuz Kathy has two moms, one of them is Sis, and it’d be like we’re a matching set!”
“Sure kid. That sounds great.”
Elijah hugs them both
MEANWHILE IN THE SECRET LAB
Annie is following the black haired Kathy and is led to…Hyde
“Well well well, if it isn’t Eric’s new whore.”
“We had heard of his tendency to have rather intimate relationships with his secretaries…that’s why the Norsch Kingdom sent me.”
Hyde narrows his eyes “A Seductress.”
“You’ve done your homework as well.” Annie climbs up the cables connected to Hyde and get’s all up in his business “Though I have to wonder who…or more aptly…what are you?”
The sun is starting to go down in the desert
End Part 11