Fic: The Summer Intern (cont.)

[jeriendhal]

“Okaaay....” She brought up the next e-mail. “This next one is from a Lady Rexanna Flickear, transmitted from Brightstone.” Nan wrinkled her nose in disgust. Brightstone was one of the human dominated worlds, on the outskirts of the GSA, where the ferin were treated as little more than exotic pets, or worse. She couldn't imagine why a proper vulpine would want to settle there.

Immediately the First One's demeanor changed. He said up on the lounge chair, his pose of languid boredom disappearing as his spurs and tail rose up in bright attentiveness. “Read it. Read it to me exactly,” he ordered.

“Yes, sir,” she said. “It starts, “Dear First One. I hope things are well there back on the homestead. It's a been a lovely spring here in Cape Torquay, and I've met some utterly fascinating new friends. The girl Peace who has been helping keep up my old place has a boy friend now. Not that she'd ever admit it. I'm forced to wonder if I should buy her beau a helmet to protect him. She's still pretty deadly with gardening implements.

The old homestead is going to be a little emptier though. The one young lady I spoke to you about in my last letter has recovered enough from her bout of illness to go on the stellar trip as I was hoping she would. She and your niece should be arriving on or about two standard days after you receive this. I'm looking forward to hearing from you about their arrival.

Well, I have to go now. Time to fix dinner for my family. Hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely, Lady Rexanna.””

“Heh! Rex, you always come through for me!” The First One popped out of his seat, pacing the room in excitement.

“Who is she? And what's she doing living on such an awful place as Brightstone?” Nan asked, ears perking up. This was the first moment of true interest in she'd seen in the First One since she'd met him the day before.

“She runs a ferin sanctuary there,” he explained. “Rex shelters bucks and does that have been abandoned by the scum who bought them, either because they got bored with 'em or finally developed a functioning conscience. Officially we don't give her any monetary or material support. That would get her more attention from the authorities there than she can afford to have. It's safer for her and her little troupe she has if she's just seen as the Crazy Ferin Lady. But she takes local donations and ships off freed ferin to Newspring whenever she can afford to. Or in this case has a friendly vulpine with a ship swing by and take on a passenger.”

“That's great!”

“Oh, yeah. Ya want to see a party? Wait until ya see the village welcoming a ferin that got the hell away from a slaver.” He flopped down into the lounge chair chair. “Next letter!”

“Okay. This one is from a Maryanne Richardson, marked personal. Anyone you know?”

His grin grew brighter. “Yah. Read it.”

Nan nodded. “Dear Uncle Terinu. Just writing to you about Grandpa Matt. I hate to tell you this, but he took a slip on the stairs two weeks ago. He fell and shattered his right femur and pelvis and had to have them both replaced. It was pretty touch and go for a while. Grandpa got pneumonia in the hospital while recovering from the surgery and had to go on a respirator for a couple of days. Fortunately he responded well the antibiotics and they took him off supplemental oxygen yesterday. He's in a rehab facility now and is expected to get out in a few days. Grandma visits him every day and she says he looks a lot better than when he first came in, though he's past ready to go home.

“I know it's really a pain for you to try get a visa to visit us, but I hope you can manage it. This whole incident has really gotten Grandpa down and I think seeing you would really cheer him up. All that supposed pull you've got with the Vulpine government ought to be good for something you'd think.”

“Write back soon please. We miss you here. Your niece, Maryanne.”

As she finished reading the email, Nan could see the last of the excitement that Lady Rexanna's news had brought him disappear from the First One's face, to be replaced by a distant, closed off expression. “Um, sir. Would you like to compose a reply?”

He glanced over to her, as if remembering she was there. “Not right now. I'll do it myself later.”

“All right. Shall I read the next one?”

“No.” He stood up, tail lashing slightly. “I've got some stuff t' do. Get out.”

“Yes, sir.” Nan stood up, giving a slight bow. She started to turn to go, but paused to say, “I'm sorry about Mr. Townsend. I guess it's good that he's out of the hospital, isn't it?”

He snorted. “Yah, terrific. Now get out.”

“Yes, sir.”

TBC

Comments

[mehhayperson.livejournal.com]

Is the raspberry-haired ferin the one who's recovered? YAY.

Shame about Matt, that must suck majorly for Teri to hear. I found the email from Maryanne adorable though.

Must be hard for him to still be so spry when all the people he knew as a teenager are old or already dead.

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Is the raspberry-haired ferin the one who's recovered? YAY.

I certainly hope so. I need to double-check with Peta to sure borrowing her is all right.

[mehhayperson.livejournal.com]

Even if it isn't, a ferin recovering from the ordeal of being a slave is a definite Good Thing, no matter who it is.

[mjkj.livejournal.com]

Ah well...

A visa to visit Earth?

Man, they must be scared of him (or all the free ferin...) to enforce something like that...

mjkj