Bathtub ruminations
"Take your time, Kallon." Sray handed him a bar of soap.
"Thanks," he took it and stepped up to the tub and paused. "Can you warm the water, Sray?" He asked sheepishly. "I- I'm just not there yet."
"Of course," Sray dipped her fingers in the water and rested them against the side of the tub as well, warming the tepid water.
"Thanks ..." He felt the water a moment and hesitated again. "Sray?"
"Yes?"
"Can you you just sit here with me?"
"Of course." She grabbed a small stool and set it next to the tub before sitting with her back to it. Kallon undressed and eased himself into the tub with a groan, staring at the ceiling as he soaked motionless for a full minute.
"Do you remember when Bema asked me to heat the water tank in winter the first time?" He asked.
Sray laughed. "Yes, you nearly burst the tank turning all of the water to steam."
His lips twitched with a ghost of a smile. "Yeah, I remember that. I think I did it twice." He rolled the soap over in his hands. "It was hard to know when to stop. You were always so much better at it than I was."
"I have five years on you Kallon."
"I know you do."
"Just like you have three years on Janef."
"Janef!" The water sloshed as he jerked up. Sray turned to face him, panic and fear were plain to see. "Is she okay? She isn't anywhere near this is she?" He searched Sray's face for answers.
"She is fine and she is home with Bema and Tafa. Worried sick I am sure, but fine."
He sighed and slipped back into the water. "Good." He slowly started to scrub himself. Sray put her back to the tub again and heard him take in breaths, hold it a moment as he thought of what to say only to let it out again in a mix of frustration before scrubbing more intently.
He dunked his head, wiped his face and finally spoke. "The leader, Tridan you called him. He made a lot of threats, especially in the beginning. That place, those rooms, you saw the other doors." His voice grew quiet and small as he spoke. Sray turned, he was staring ahead, beyond the walls. He dropped to a hoarse whisper. "I'm sure he was going to repeat the experiments. Given long enough he would have found a way to get all three of us and ... and there were ... there are times I don't remember. It's blurred in my brain I don't know what they did to me. I don't know what I did. I don't know. I'm out of there in body, but I feel my mind is stuck."
He drew in a sharp breath and shook himself and looked at Sray. He frowned "Don't ..." His voice was back, he was present again. "Don't look at me like that."
She turned away again. "I'm sorry."
"It's-" he blew out a rough breath.
"You're fine. You had nothing to do with it."
"I'm sorry we weren't faster." Sray began, her voice threatening catch in her throat. "It took so long to find you. We only had one chance and we had to make it as sure as we could."
He sighed. "How many people are in danger because of me? What happens to Silfiya DeTowr's family if Tridan finds out they helped?"
"He is not going to find out." Sray said firmly.
"He found me."
"And we are going to make sure he pays for that. Him and everyone who was a part of what happened to you. They will answer for everything."
---
My heavens Kallon, stop making the story so sad! He bounces back, I'm sure of it. It is just going to take more than six or eight hours to do it.
Teigan was a descendant of Keishan Sollit who spearheaded the attack to free those who were imprisioned by the Mime before the start of the wars. I think Keishan had a daughter who was taken and that is the line Teigan comes from, which leads to Sray, Kallon, and Janef and that now makes total sense as to why the three of them can perceive Mime structrues and perhaps why Teigan was so enchanted by Kayrin Hillenbohn.
"Thanks," he took it and stepped up to the tub and paused. "Can you warm the water, Sray?" He asked sheepishly. "I- I'm just not there yet."
"Of course," Sray dipped her fingers in the water and rested them against the side of the tub as well, warming the tepid water.
"Thanks ..." He felt the water a moment and hesitated again. "Sray?"
"Yes?"
"Can you you just sit here with me?"
"Of course." She grabbed a small stool and set it next to the tub before sitting with her back to it. Kallon undressed and eased himself into the tub with a groan, staring at the ceiling as he soaked motionless for a full minute.
"Do you remember when Bema asked me to heat the water tank in winter the first time?" He asked.
Sray laughed. "Yes, you nearly burst the tank turning all of the water to steam."
His lips twitched with a ghost of a smile. "Yeah, I remember that. I think I did it twice." He rolled the soap over in his hands. "It was hard to know when to stop. You were always so much better at it than I was."
"I have five years on you Kallon."
"I know you do."
"Just like you have three years on Janef."
"Janef!" The water sloshed as he jerked up. Sray turned to face him, panic and fear were plain to see. "Is she okay? She isn't anywhere near this is she?" He searched Sray's face for answers.
"She is fine and she is home with Bema and Tafa. Worried sick I am sure, but fine."
He sighed and slipped back into the water. "Good." He slowly started to scrub himself. Sray put her back to the tub again and heard him take in breaths, hold it a moment as he thought of what to say only to let it out again in a mix of frustration before scrubbing more intently.
He dunked his head, wiped his face and finally spoke. "The leader, Tridan you called him. He made a lot of threats, especially in the beginning. That place, those rooms, you saw the other doors." His voice grew quiet and small as he spoke. Sray turned, he was staring ahead, beyond the walls. He dropped to a hoarse whisper. "I'm sure he was going to repeat the experiments. Given long enough he would have found a way to get all three of us and ... and there were ... there are times I don't remember. It's blurred in my brain I don't know what they did to me. I don't know what I did. I don't know. I'm out of there in body, but I feel my mind is stuck."
He drew in a sharp breath and shook himself and looked at Sray. He frowned "Don't ..." His voice was back, he was present again. "Don't look at me like that."
She turned away again. "I'm sorry."
"It's-" he blew out a rough breath.
"You're fine. You had nothing to do with it."
"I'm sorry we weren't faster." Sray began, her voice threatening catch in her throat. "It took so long to find you. We only had one chance and we had to make it as sure as we could."
He sighed. "How many people are in danger because of me? What happens to Silfiya DeTowr's family if Tridan finds out they helped?"
"He is not going to find out." Sray said firmly.
"He found me."
"And we are going to make sure he pays for that. Him and everyone who was a part of what happened to you. They will answer for everything."
---
My heavens Kallon, stop making the story so sad! He bounces back, I'm sure of it. It is just going to take more than six or eight hours to do it.
Teigan was a descendant of Keishan Sollit who spearheaded the attack to free those who were imprisioned by the Mime before the start of the wars. I think Keishan had a daughter who was taken and that is the line Teigan comes from, which leads to Sray, Kallon, and Janef and that now makes total sense as to why the three of them can perceive Mime structrues and perhaps why Teigan was so enchanted by Kayrin Hillenbohn.