Fic: Childhood's End (PG)
Mar. 14th, 2007 05:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalTags: Terinu universe, Melika, Ninetta
Note: Set shortly after the events of issues 8 & 9 of Terinu.
“Mel? Mel?! Hey, Mel!” Ninetta’s voice boomed out across the lounge of Madame Cher’s Cabaret, turning the heads of the other performers and support staff, but not getting the attention of the one she wanted to see. The skinny, long-legged Galen strode across the room, collaring Auntie Alexa as the heavy Creo woman was just getting up to leave. “Alexa, have you seen Mel? We’re supposed to be rehearsing for tonight’s show!”
“Oh my stars!” Alexa gasped, “She’s up in her room, poor dear. I don’t think she’s feeling very well at all. She said her throat was feeling sore.”
Ninetta frowned. “She looked fine a couple of hours ago when we saw Teri and his friends off. I’ll go check up on her.”
“Nin, darling, I really think she’d rather be…” Alexa started to say, but by then the leggy Galen was gone, rushing up the steps two at a time.
Ninetta headed down the corridor to the performer’s dorm, where the featured acts had suites to themselves, and girls (and occasionally boys) working bit parts or otherwise starting out shared smaller rooms. She half walked, half ran down the hall to Melika’s room and pressed the enunciator, waited a half-second, and then knocked on the door for good measure.
“Go away!” Melika’s voice floated back, sounding raspy. Featherfall, maybe she was sick.
“C’mon, Mel, open up. It’s me, Nin! We’ve got a show to rehearse.”
“I’m sorry, Nin. I don’t feel well at all.”
Ninetta leaned up against the door, “So? Just drink some of Cookie’s honey tea. That’ll keep you going until after the show.”
“Oh, Ninetta, have a heart!” Melika cried out. Then the Galen woman heard her begin to sob. Her eyes widened and she quickly tapped in Melika’s door code, which she’d long ago memorized. It slid back to reveal the Vulpine woman sitting on her bed, knees pulled up her chin, clutching a worn Vulpine stuffed toy.
“Hey, what’s the matter, Melika?” She stepped inside and shut the door behind her, sitting on the bed beside her friend.
Melika looked over at her, eyes red, facial fur matted and stained with tears. “How can you ask that? Don’t you care that he’s gone again?”
“Terinu? Aw, Mel, you know he couldn’t stay with us. Mama Cher wouldn’t let him.” Ninetta gathered her up in a hug. “Besides, isn’t it enough to know he’s alive and away from that pirate, Chan?”
Melika shook her head. “I know, I know, I should be grateful. I prayed to the Holy Den Mother nearly every night that he would be delivered from that dreadful woman. But now that he is… oh, Nin, it’s not him. That boy wasn’t him!”
“Not him?” Nin frowned in puzzlement. “Hey, how many short grey kids with horns and a tail can there possibly be out there? Okay, he’s got a really nice set abs these days, but he’s still the same Teri.”
“No, no he isn’t. I know that he’s our Terinu, our little Mouse, but…” Melika wiped her eyes and snorted, clearing her muzzle. “Weren’t you watching him while he was here? Did you see him laugh, even once? Or just smile?”
Ninetta swallowed, remembering how tense the boy had been when she’d rubbed his back, lulling him to sleep the night before. She’d put it off to adolescent nerves, but still… “Mel, you know he had a rough time with Chan, even if he didn’t want to talk about it.”
“I hugged him and he didn’t hug me back. I could feel his whole body tense up, fighting the instinct to pull away.” Melika looked stricken. “What did they do to him, what happened to him, that he fears being touched now?”
She felt her face flush hotly, as she realized what the worst of Melika’s fears could be. “Oh, oh, oh no, Mel, I’m sure no one ever… I mean, he’s just a kid.”
“Not any more,” Melika said, shaking her head again. “He’s a man now. Terinu’s childhood has ended, was stolen from him by the horrible woman, Mavra Chan.” Her voice dropped down to a whisper. “I swear upon the name of the Holy Den Mother, I would kill her if given the chance. I would kill her for what she stole from Terinu.”
Ninetta held Melika close to her, letting the Vulpine woman bury her face in her shoulder. “You don’t mean that, Mel. You can’t mean that.”
“I do,” Mel replied, “with every ounce of will in my soul, with every bit of love for Terinu I hold in my heart, I do.”
The End
Note: Set shortly after the events of issues 8 & 9 of Terinu.
“Mel? Mel?! Hey, Mel!” Ninetta’s voice boomed out across the lounge of Madame Cher’s Cabaret, turning the heads of the other performers and support staff, but not getting the attention of the one she wanted to see. The skinny, long-legged Galen strode across the room, collaring Auntie Alexa as the heavy Creo woman was just getting up to leave. “Alexa, have you seen Mel? We’re supposed to be rehearsing for tonight’s show!”
“Oh my stars!” Alexa gasped, “She’s up in her room, poor dear. I don’t think she’s feeling very well at all. She said her throat was feeling sore.”
Ninetta frowned. “She looked fine a couple of hours ago when we saw Teri and his friends off. I’ll go check up on her.”
“Nin, darling, I really think she’d rather be…” Alexa started to say, but by then the leggy Galen was gone, rushing up the steps two at a time.
Ninetta headed down the corridor to the performer’s dorm, where the featured acts had suites to themselves, and girls (and occasionally boys) working bit parts or otherwise starting out shared smaller rooms. She half walked, half ran down the hall to Melika’s room and pressed the enunciator, waited a half-second, and then knocked on the door for good measure.
“Go away!” Melika’s voice floated back, sounding raspy. Featherfall, maybe she was sick.
“C’mon, Mel, open up. It’s me, Nin! We’ve got a show to rehearse.”
“I’m sorry, Nin. I don’t feel well at all.”
Ninetta leaned up against the door, “So? Just drink some of Cookie’s honey tea. That’ll keep you going until after the show.”
“Oh, Ninetta, have a heart!” Melika cried out. Then the Galen woman heard her begin to sob. Her eyes widened and she quickly tapped in Melika’s door code, which she’d long ago memorized. It slid back to reveal the Vulpine woman sitting on her bed, knees pulled up her chin, clutching a worn Vulpine stuffed toy.
“Hey, what’s the matter, Melika?” She stepped inside and shut the door behind her, sitting on the bed beside her friend.
Melika looked over at her, eyes red, facial fur matted and stained with tears. “How can you ask that? Don’t you care that he’s gone again?”
“Terinu? Aw, Mel, you know he couldn’t stay with us. Mama Cher wouldn’t let him.” Ninetta gathered her up in a hug. “Besides, isn’t it enough to know he’s alive and away from that pirate, Chan?”
Melika shook her head. “I know, I know, I should be grateful. I prayed to the Holy Den Mother nearly every night that he would be delivered from that dreadful woman. But now that he is… oh, Nin, it’s not him. That boy wasn’t him!”
“Not him?” Nin frowned in puzzlement. “Hey, how many short grey kids with horns and a tail can there possibly be out there? Okay, he’s got a really nice set abs these days, but he’s still the same Teri.”
“No, no he isn’t. I know that he’s our Terinu, our little Mouse, but…” Melika wiped her eyes and snorted, clearing her muzzle. “Weren’t you watching him while he was here? Did you see him laugh, even once? Or just smile?”
Ninetta swallowed, remembering how tense the boy had been when she’d rubbed his back, lulling him to sleep the night before. She’d put it off to adolescent nerves, but still… “Mel, you know he had a rough time with Chan, even if he didn’t want to talk about it.”
“I hugged him and he didn’t hug me back. I could feel his whole body tense up, fighting the instinct to pull away.” Melika looked stricken. “What did they do to him, what happened to him, that he fears being touched now?”
She felt her face flush hotly, as she realized what the worst of Melika’s fears could be. “Oh, oh, oh no, Mel, I’m sure no one ever… I mean, he’s just a kid.”
“Not any more,” Melika said, shaking her head again. “He’s a man now. Terinu’s childhood has ended, was stolen from him by the horrible woman, Mavra Chan.” Her voice dropped down to a whisper. “I swear upon the name of the Holy Den Mother, I would kill her if given the chance. I would kill her for what she stole from Terinu.”
Ninetta held Melika close to her, letting the Vulpine woman bury her face in her shoulder. “You don’t mean that, Mel. You can’t mean that.”
“I do,” Mel replied, “with every ounce of will in my soul, with every bit of love for Terinu I hold in my heart, I do.”
The End
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Wow :)
Oh you posted it here also =D
great :)
mjkj