"I'll go back," I sighed, turning away from Thiskil's northern ocean and skipping away.
* * *
"Thank goodness." Joey, Franklin and Norton were waiting inside my bedroom. Joey was the one who spoke. "All your mates are tearing their hair out, I think."
Slipping the jacket off my shoulders and wandering into my closet to hang it up, I thought briefly about telling all my mates that I wanted a separation. From all of them. I couldn't decide if that would improve matters or not, so I left it alone.
"Come along, tiny butt. Let's go face the music," Franklin took my hand and led me from the bedroom.
"Reah!" Nenzi did look as if he had tugged at his hair. He, along with the others, had likely been planning a raid on every place I might possibly have gone. Lendill was there, armed to the teeth, Lok had come with both blades strapped to his back and Aurelius looked as if the claws and fangs might come out at any moment. Teeg had a Ranos pistol strapped to a thigh and my knife— my Grey House knife —clipped to his belt.
"That's mine," I went straight to him and jerked the knife from his belt.
"I'm not sure you should keep that within easy reach," Kevis said dryly.
"Really?" I pointed it at him. "I've been looking for this for years. Try taking it from me now."
"All right," Kevis backed up a few steps, his hands up in a form of surrender.
"Don't worry, all of your behinds are safe," I muttered, wondering where I could put my knife so that nobody would take it again.
"I will place it in the Archives, and Reah may have it back anytime she wants," Nefrigar appeared, holding out a hand. Worrying my lip as I gazed up at him, I reluctantly placed the knife in his hand. He sent it straight to the Archives; it disappeared immediately.
"I wish I could do that," I said, studying my toes for a moment.
"Reah," Teeg stepped in front of me. "I want to clear the air a little. Go ahead. Yell at me. Yell at everybody else here. Get it out of your system. I don't know if I can take much more of this disappearing shit."
"Like you didn't disappear? Jerk," I snapped at him. "How many times did you tell Dee to call me because you were too much of a coward to do it yourself? How many times was I dragged here to play dress up and act stupid for heads of state? Hello, I'm Reah San Gerxon and I don't have a brain in my head ," I mimicked, smiling a vapid smile. "I never got to go to college and earn multiple degrees and start an Alliance," I went on. "Addah Desh wouldn't spend a penny on me if he could help it. I never got the choice of whether I wanted to go to school or not, beyond what was required by law. And then the conscription notice came and I became Alliance property. Where was my life in all of that, Teeg San Gerxon? Where? Kifirin saw to it that I was kept pregnant for a while, and Gardevik Rath saw to it that I was trapped on the Southern Continent of Kifirin. I hear my girls don't know a damn thing about me, now, and isn't that a slap in the face?"
"Geez, Reah, I didn't mean to open the floodgates," Teeg rubbed the back of his neck, a deep frown on his face.
"No? Want to hear more?" I asked. "Aurelius and Lok asked for extra spawn hunting duty so they wouldn't have to talk to the old ball and chain. Aurelius came and took my girls out for ice cream many times and didn't bother to stop in to talk to me. Didn't think I knew about that, did you?" I stared hard at Aurelius.
"Lendill had his nose parked on the ASD grindstone, and it was just too much trouble to come see Reah unless he wanted something. Farzi and Nenzi didn't have ready transportation and they were too busy trying to keep Campiaa in fresh fruit and vegetables. Of course, Kifirin's little interference didn't help one damn bit in all of that. If you don't count Nefrigar or the past two months with Ry, I think I've had sex four times in the past three years. Doctor Halivar, I hope you got all that. I really don't want to repeat it later." I stomped away from all of
* * *
"Thank goodness." Joey, Franklin and Norton were waiting inside my bedroom. Joey was the one who spoke. "All your mates are tearing their hair out, I think."
Slipping the jacket off my shoulders and wandering into my closet to hang it up, I thought briefly about telling all my mates that I wanted a separation. From all of them. I couldn't decide if that would improve matters or not, so I left it alone.
"Come along, tiny butt. Let's go face the music," Franklin took my hand and led me from the bedroom.
"Reah!" Nenzi did look as if he had tugged at his hair. He, along with the others, had likely been planning a raid on every place I might possibly have gone. Lendill was there, armed to the teeth, Lok had come with both blades strapped to his back and Aurelius looked as if the claws and fangs might come out at any moment. Teeg had a Ranos pistol strapped to a thigh and my knife— my Grey House knife —clipped to his belt.
"That's mine," I went straight to him and jerked the knife from his belt.
"I'm not sure you should keep that within easy reach," Kevis said dryly.
"Really?" I pointed it at him. "I've been looking for this for years. Try taking it from me now."
"All right," Kevis backed up a few steps, his hands up in a form of surrender.
"Don't worry, all of your behinds are safe," I muttered, wondering where I could put my knife so that nobody would take it again.
"I will place it in the Archives, and Reah may have it back anytime she wants," Nefrigar appeared, holding out a hand. Worrying my lip as I gazed up at him, I reluctantly placed the knife in his hand. He sent it straight to the Archives; it disappeared immediately.
"I wish I could do that," I said, studying my toes for a moment.
"Reah," Teeg stepped in front of me. "I want to clear the air a little. Go ahead. Yell at me. Yell at everybody else here. Get it out of your system. I don't know if I can take much more of this disappearing shit."
"Like you didn't disappear? Jerk," I snapped at him. "How many times did you tell Dee to call me because you were too much of a coward to do it yourself? How many times was I dragged here to play dress up and act stupid for heads of state? Hello, I'm Reah San Gerxon and I don't have a brain in my head ," I mimicked, smiling a vapid smile. "I never got to go to college and earn multiple degrees and start an Alliance," I went on. "Addah Desh wouldn't spend a penny on me if he could help it. I never got the choice of whether I wanted to go to school or not, beyond what was required by law. And then the conscription notice came and I became Alliance property. Where was my life in all of that, Teeg San Gerxon? Where? Kifirin saw to it that I was kept pregnant for a while, and Gardevik Rath saw to it that I was trapped on the Southern Continent of Kifirin. I hear my girls don't know a damn thing about me, now, and isn't that a slap in the face?"
"Geez, Reah, I didn't mean to open the floodgates," Teeg rubbed the back of his neck, a deep frown on his face.
"No? Want to hear more?" I asked. "Aurelius and Lok asked for extra spawn hunting duty so they wouldn't have to talk to the old ball and chain. Aurelius came and took my girls out for ice cream many times and didn't bother to stop in to talk to me. Didn't think I knew about that, did you?" I stared hard at Aurelius.
"Lendill had his nose parked on the ASD grindstone, and it was just too much trouble to come see Reah unless he wanted something. Farzi and Nenzi didn't have ready transportation and they were too busy trying to keep Campiaa in fresh fruit and vegetables. Of course, Kifirin's little interference didn't help one damn bit in all of that. If you don't count Nefrigar or the past two months with Ry, I think I've had sex four times in the past three years. Doctor Halivar, I hope you got all that. I really don't want to repeat it later." I stomped away from all of
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