Aresan Clan pt 34

“I guess the creature of virtue didn’t like the taste of you one bit, did she?” Lipmon could just hear a voice speaking in the distance, “She’s a temperamental girl. She’s supposed to do what she’s told, but does what she wants instead. I’ve never understood her, but…”

Lipmon was starting to open his eyes. He felt all the pain of his sore muscles and his open wounds, both the long sword slash from Alles and the scratches of the creature. He could also see a man looming over him, with a thick shaggy beard and tussled, curly hair, both graying and dark. The man wore a brimmed hat that shadowed his eyes a little. He had been talking, as if to nobody as Lipmon returned to consciousness, but he abruptly stopped as he saw Lipmon’s eyes opening.

He then shouted over his shoulder, “Maya, you’ve got to come in here. I think he’s waking up!” The bearded man then turned back to Lipmon, “You got a bad fever boy. I could never tell whether you were awake or not, since you talk so much in your sleep. Mostly gibberish. Mostly names of people I don’t know. Maybe they are friends of yours. But you talk about them constantly. You’ve clearly had a rough trip, and it would’ve been too horrible had that creature been the end of it for you.”

Then Maya entered, draped in her kitchen dress and wiping her hands on the fabric, “That boy right there’s awake? What a sight he was!” She then said to Lipmon, “I been thinking you were going to make it, but not Merek here. He’s a pessimist if I ever saw one. Saying over and over again, ‘That boy won’t survive the night. I can see Death looming over him, impatiently tapping his feet.’”

“I said no such thing,” Merek piped up, “I’ve been nursing him like this because I knew he was going to make it, and I could never abandon a man in need.”

“Never abandon a man in need?” Maya interrupted, “Why you wouldn’t have gone out there to fetch him if I hadn’t goaded you.”

“I was waiting until the creature was well away. You never know about those temperamental things. They’ll turn on you in a second,” Merek said, now turning to Lipmon, “That’s what I was just telling you before you woke up. The creatures are so temperamental. They do what they want, instead of what this town needs. I don’t know how the Arbiter controls her.”

“Don’t lie. You would have just left him there, if I hadn’t nagged you to go out there and fetch. You would’ve been waiting until he was well dead and there was nothing to bother over. There’s no good in that,” to Lipmon, “By the way my name is Maya. If you don’t feel strong enough to speak don’t strain yourself. I’ve got a warm bowl of beef stock you can drink. And a little bit of sour milk, if you like. Of course, I’ll go get it, since my husband never does anything.” She then left the room.

Merek looked somewhat relieved and began to speak confidently with Lipmon, “All the better reason to get well quick. She’ll badger you to death if you don’t get healthy, nagging you about why you aren’t getting well sooner. Now, mind you, I was a little bit hesitant to out and fetch you because I was worried about the Creature. It’s a savage and deadly animal and I wanted to wait until it was out of sight. I never seen the Creature leave someone to live like she left you. That creature will leave me be so long as I stay in my fence, but as soon as I step outside of it, she can’t tell me from some intruder. So I don’t want her chomping my guts out and leaving me for the rodents. But when Maya started goading me to get you, I was more afraid of her than I was of that Creature. If you’ve ever been married, you probably know what it’s like.”

Their cabin had two rooms: a large main room with the stove where food was prepared and where they slept in the winter, and a smaller side room where they slept in the summer and where Lipmon was now lying. The bed was far softer than he was used to, stuffed with hair and feathers. To Lipmon, coming from a small, poor farming village, Orinda-forr was a town of luxury and wealth.

<-- Go to Part 33         Go to Part 35 -->

You can see what's been written so far collected here.

“I guess the creature of virtue didn’t like the taste of you one bit, did she?” Lipmon could just hear a voice speaking in the distance, “She’s a temperamental girl. She’s supposed to do what she’s told, but does what she wants instead. I’ve never understood her, but…”

Lipmon was starting to open his eyes. He felt all the pain of his sore muscles and his open wounds, both the long sword slash from Alles and the scratches of the creature. He could also see a man looming over him, with a thick shaggy beard and tussled, curly hair, both graying and dark. The man wore a brimmed hat that shadowed his eyes a little. He had been talking, as if to nobody as Lipmon returned to consciousness, but he abruptly stopped as he saw Lipmon’s eyes opening.

He then shouted over his shoulder, “Maya, you’ve got to come in here. I think he’s waking up!” The bearded man then turned back to Lipmon, “You got a bad fever boy. I could never tell whether you were awake or not, since you talk so much in your sleep. Mostly gibberish. Mostly names of people I don’t know. Maybe they are friends of yours. But you talk about them constantly. You’ve clearly had a rough trip, and it would’ve been too horrible had that creature been the end of it for you.”

Then Maya entered, draped in her kitchen dress and wiping her hands on the fabric, “That boy right there’s awake? What a sight he was!” She then said to Lipmon, “I been thinking you were going to make it, but not Merek here. He’s a pessimist if I ever saw one. Saying over and over again, ‘That boy won’t survive the night. I can see Death looming over him, impatiently tapping his feet.’”

“I said no such thing,” Merek piped up, “I’ve been nursing him like this because I knew he was going to make it, and I could never abandon a man in need.”

“Never abandon a man in need?” Maya interrupted, “Why you wouldn’t have gone out there to fetch him if I hadn’t goaded you.”

“I was waiting until the creature was well away. You never know about those temperamental things. They’ll turn on you in a second,” Merek said, now turning to Lipmon, “That’s what I was just telling you before you woke up. The creatures are so temperamental. They do what they want, instead of what this town needs. I don’t know how the Arbiter controls her.”

“Don’t lie. You would have just left him there, if I hadn’t nagged you to go out there and fetch. You would’ve been waiting until he was well dead and there was nothing to bother over. There’s no good in that,” to Lipmon, “By the way my name is Maya. If you don’t feel strong enough to speak don’t strain yourself. I’ve got a warm bowl of beef stock you can drink. And a little bit of sour milk, if you like. Of course, I’ll go get it, since my husband never does anything.” She then left the room.

Merek looked somewhat relieved and began to speak confidently with Lipmon, “All the better reason to get well quick. She’ll badger you to death if you don’t get healthy, nagging you about why you aren’t getting well sooner. Now, mind you, I was a little bit hesitant to out and fetch you because I was worried about the Creature. It’s a savage and deadly animal and I wanted to wait until it was out of sight. I never seen the Creature leave someone to live like she left you. That creature will leave me be so long as I stay in my fence, but as soon as I step outside of it, she can’t tell me from some intruder. So I don’t want her chomping my guts out and leaving me for the rodents. But when Maya started goading me to get you, I was more afraid of her than I was of that Creature. If you’ve ever been married, you probably know what it’s like.”

Their cabin had two rooms: a large main room with the stove where food was prepared and where they slept in the winter, and a smaller side room where they slept in the summer and where Lipmon was now lying. The bed was far softer than he was used to, stuffed with hair and feathers. To Lipmon, coming from a small, poor farming village, Orinda-forr was a town of luxury and wealth.

<-- Go to Part 33         Go to Part 35 -->

You can see what's been written so far collected here.

Aresan Clan pt 34