Description
A Greater Society - Chapter 41: Ajar by Ratte
Story
When I woke I felt the soft cotton of a shirt against my snout. As the sleep fog cleared I blinked awake to Daniel still in front of me, surprisingly. With how anxious he was last night I actually expected him to change orientation, but he didn't. Instead he balled up much of the free side of the comforter into a bunch to cling to-- I guess he wasn't joking about being a cuddly sleeper. Yet despite the makeshift body pillow his hand was one with mine, his fingers in the spaces between my own and holding just tight enough to hang on. Even in his sleep he held it up by his chest, around where my head might usually rest.
It seemed, at least from here, that maybe my presence really was a comfort for him after all, rather than just something entertained for my sake. This gesture, though silent and simple, helped ease much of my remaining concerns about his possible perceptions.
Freeing my hand and carefully pushing my small body upward I situated myself with my head above his, tilting mine down to gently rub my snout atop his head like he'd done to me. In his sleep his ears reclined and his tail curled inward under the comforter. After a short time Daniel would softly groan, slowly coming to.
"Mm...Reverend?" he mumbled. "...What're you doin'?"
"I just...thought maybe you'd like to get back some of what you give," I quietly said. "I'm sorry, I can stop if you don't like it."
"...Please keep doin' it," he shyly requested.
I smiled and moved closer, resuming. As I continued he slowly curled up around the bunched-up comforter. I brought my arm up and over his, reaching up my hand to comb through the long fur along the edge of his cheek.
"You...know that y'ain't gotta do this, right?" he asked. "Sorry to ask for somethin' like...this."
"I want to," softly said. "I'm sorry if it's strange coming from me. If you'd rather, I can stop."
"I just want this to be somethin' you wanna do, not just somethin' you do because I ask for it," he said, muffled with the comforter. "'m sure it's weird to do with me 'n all, so--"
"Daniel."
"...Hm?"
"You've been very helpful, kind, and understanding, and this all means a lot to me. I have little issue with giving back, really...I just don't quite know how, but I'm trying. It's, um, rather evident that it's something you'd like, so I hope that you're alright with it coming from me."
"Does it...bother you that I'm, well...this?" he asked, morose. "Don't want you doin' these things if it's discomforting for ya."
"No, not at all," I replied, hugging around his back. "I'll admit that it was strange to think about at first, but...the more I thought about it, the more I considered the genuineness of the care and affection above all else...and the less those other things mattered to me."
"...Are you sure?"
"Mm. I think that, at the end of the day, we're looking for the same things from each other. I'm happy with you as you are, and with this the way it is. Are you?"
"...Yeah, I am."
"Then, honestly...I think that's all that really matters--"
A small sharp knock echoed through the room. It could be only one person.
"--and I'm sure he'd agree."
The door opened, releasing a brown-haired child into our room. He turned around to close it, taking a right to look at the clock on my desk before running over to the bed.
"Well you're awfully excited," I chuckled from behind Daniel. "Did you need something?"
"Can I come into bed with you again?" he asked.
"What time is it?" I asked further.
"The small hand's on the seven and the long one's on the three," he said, looking back toward the desk.
I really should get another clock, maybe for the top of the dresser.
"Hm, sure," I relented with a small smile.
Daniel released the comforter and opened his arm for Riv to crawl under. The boy happily did so, getting nice and snug up to the man's front. I softly laughed from my vantage point, watching as Daniel combed his fingers through Riv's bedhead. Looking over there was a warmth to Daniel's face I couldn't quite explain, but it never failed to bring a smile to my face.
With everyone situated we resumed with a short sleep-- my resting my snout atop Daniel's head and he doing the same atop Riv's. I'm sure from above it was a humorous sight, though one couldn't argue with the comfort it brought.
As I drifted back to sleep I hoped that these developments hadn't disappointed you in some way. While I enjoyed, maybe even needed the affection I received I was not looking to him to replace you. You'd always been so understanding, and I couldn't help but feel as though I heard your reassurance in my ear just before falling back asleep.
---
The three of us napped for about an hour, close and cozy in my large bed. It felt so nice to have the space filled like this, with the people who mattered most to me in my current frame of life. I was the first to wake, my cuddly child still wrapped up in the arms of my closest friend and both of them sleeping peacefully. I carefully retreated and left the bed, leaving them to continue their slumber as I went to take a quick shower.
I took the new clothes from atop my dresser and quietly walked out to the bathroom. As I passed the mirror along the way I turned to face my reflection. The small man looking back to me seemed somehow happier and more confident than he did but a handful of months ago. Though the change was slight, it was enough to be visible. With a small, relieved sigh I continued to the shower, wanting to get the next ten minutes or so done with sooner rather than later.
I let the hot water run down my back, trailing down the myriad of scars and burns I carried. The heat helped soothe the irritating tightness and itchiness I sometimes experienced, but tried to ignore as not to draw unwanted attention. Those on my front weren't quite as annoying as I could much more easily reach them. As I stood under the showerhead I wondered just how exactly Riv or Daniel might see me if, by some stroke of poor luck, they caught me without a shirt. I hoped that, should such a horrible thing ever happen, they would not be afraid of me and the ugliness I hid away.
...They did love me, right?
So far I hadn't a reason to doubt this.
I turned off the water and wrung out my hair and tail before attacking myself with a towel. As much as I used to hate my tail I'd grown to appreciate it and the comfort it seemed to bring to both Riv and Daniel. I'd been trying to take better care of it for a while, the fur kept cleaner and groomed better these days.
As I stood in front of the mirror to comb my hair I heard the sharp tapping of hooves on wood. Turning to my left Kuri stood in the doorway of the bathroom, arms crossed and baring a troubled expression.
"Kuri?" I asked. "Are you alright?"
He didn't say anything, but motioned me to follow him. I quickly wrapped up what I was doing and did so, accompanying him to his room as he closed the door behind me.
"Sorry, Reverend, I know this is probably weird for you," he started, looking toward the door. "I wanted this to be kept private."
"Sure, what's the matter?" I asked, scratching my head.
The red ramiotran bent down and put his snout next to my ear.
"Last night one of the staff looked into Riv's room," he whispered. "I don't know what for, it was very quick. They didn't go in, but they did open the door and poke their head in."
"...I see," I replied. "I can't imagine what they'd be interested in if they're usually so avoidant. Maybe they were just looking for something and decided to see if Riv might have it after all."
"I really couldn't tell you, but it was a very quick glance," he recalled. "I didn't act on it since they didn't actually go inside. I assure that if they had I'd have stepped in."
"It's alright, Kuri, I trust you," I reassured. "Thank you for watching over him at night. Can you please continue doing so from here if it's not too much trouble for you?"
"You don't even gotta ask," he said, patting my head. "Didn't mean to sour your morning, but this is something you should know about."
"It's not a problem. Thank you so much for letting me know; that's been bothering me for...quite some time, now."
He opened the door to let me out, closing the door behind him once more.
I really couldn't fathom what they'd be after. During the waking hours those staff were typically loathe to share a room with us at any time, let alone try to peer into his room.
Curious, I opened Riv's room to take a look for myself: A messy futon on the floor, a dresser, and small wastebin. Just beyond the foot of the futon was a stack of paper topped with a box of pencils and crayons. Stepping further into the room I pushed open the tiny closet, but it remained empty. There was nothing out of the ordinary here as far as I could tell, so unless Riv put back whatever he might have taken between last night and this morning's invasion it's not likely anything changed.
I walked back out of his room and closed the door. Looking to my right I saw one staffmember shuffling about between a couple rooms, carrying a broom and dustpan. This was so far nothing unusual.
I'd bring this up with Daniel later, putting my trust in Kuri's watchful eyes.
---
After an ordinary day of meals, chores, and family time it was ready to turn in for the night. Daniel and I put Riv down to sleep, saying our goodnights and closing the boy's door as we departed. I slowed my pace as I walked by Kuri's door before pressing onward. Daniel had returned to the staff room to read, so I walked in and gently nudged his shoulder.
"I need to talk to you about something important," I said. "Please come with me to the bedroom."
Without a word he set his book aside on the short table and followed me to the bedroom, closing the door behind him and ensuring the close was tight. He sat on the edge of the bed as I paced about the floor.
"What's goin' on?" he asked. "...I didn't do anything, did I?"
"No, no, it's nothing you did," I assured, shaking my head. "It's about Riv...or, rather, about his door. I know you've heard that some mornings it's been found slightly ajar and had asked Kuri to watch the upstairs."
"...I already don't like where this is goin'," he sighed, ears raking back.
"Yes, well...Kuri told me this morning that sometime last night he witnessed a staffmember peeking into his room after hours," I retold. "He said they didn't trespass, only opened the door and briefly looked inside. I'm...really not sure what could interest them since they typically avoid us."
"Did he maybe have somethin' they were lookin' for?" Daniel asked.
"See, I thought of that same thing and decided to take a look for myself. When I went in I looked for anything that might seem amiss or out of place, but really there was just nothing. Even the tiny closet is empty. I mean, Riv doesn't exactly have a ton of possessions so anything he might have taken shouldn't be hard to find."
"That's...really disconcerting," he said, looking aside and rubbing his chin in thought. "Everything fine with the window, if you recall? Maybe there was a draft somewhere and they were lookin' for a cause."
"His window was closed," I thought back. "Riv gets cold easily so his window is really only open in the hotter seasons. Even then, why would they come all the way down here for that when they're never on this side of the level to know what the climate is like?"
"...You got me there," he tapped on his lips with his eyes to the floor. "I didn't want to bring this up again, but I can't help but wonder if they might have had something to do with Riv's illness."
"Oh?"
"Reverend, I'm sorry, but that whole episode was just far too isolated for my comfort," he shook his head, his brow strongly furrowed. "I can't prove anything, but it's been eatin' at me. If it was my doing then I absolutely apologize-- I've been tryin' to keep a closer eye on my cooking since. But...I've made many a meal for many a person, and nobody's ever gotten sick."
"How do you think they could have done it?" I asked. "Wouldn't they have to feed it to him or something? As far as I can recall Riv's never mentioned anything about any staffmember feeding him anything, especially overnight. The only staff I saw offer such a thing was the one day staffmember, and it occurred right in front of me."
"That's what I'm stuck on, too," he rubbed the back of his neck. "'Course I could hypothesize myself into the ground, but it'd all be useless speculation with what shred of information we have. I'm guessin' Kuri's still watchin' the hall?"
"Yes, he's more than willing to keep an eye on the goings-on down here," I said. "I suppose that...for now, there's not much we can do. Kuri said he'd intervene should they enter the room and that he didn't because they hadn't yet."
"Fair."
"...That actually reminds me," I brought my hand to my chin and looked down to my feet before turning back up to face him. "That day staffwoman had one of those candies you carry on you. Did you give that to her?"
"Oh, yeah, I did," his face turned from troubled to soft confusion. "Funny case, that."
I just tilted my head.
"Don't really know what's with that one, but she's pretty curious about the two'a ya, and not in a bad way," Daniel shrugged. "When I was washing up the dishes yet she approached me, all really shy-like. She asked if there was somethin' she could do to, like, try to 'bridge the gap' as she put it, between herself and the three of us."
"...So you gave her one of the candies?" I segued.
"Yeah, thought it would be a gentle enough gesture on both of 'em as Riv would prob'ly be the harder one to win over," he continued. "She's the one I never heard sour things from regarding us three and I'm willin' to entertain a little kindness. She don't seem too bad, just very nervous and unsure."
"Well, I'll trust your judgment in that case," I scratched my head. "She's the only one who'll humor my requests for assistance, so you might be on to something. She, uh, actually stopped by yesterday to wish me well for the occasion."
"Aw, that's real nice of her. Must've overheard something we said given how closely she watches you two."
"...Maybe. She's also the only one I don't feel...uneasy being watched by. It's strange, but there's just no dismay or malevolence to her stares. They just seem...vaguely fearful?"
Daniel just shrugged.
"Maybe with a little time and encouragement she'll come around," he said. "So far seems willin' to try."
I sighed, not really sure where to go from here.
"Let's just see where this goes, okay?" Daniel suggested. "This has been a lot to take in, so just take a few deep breaths and we'll go through all of this together."
Daniel got up to change his clothes and retrieve his book from the staff room, giving me a few minutes to change as well. Lying atop the bed he pat the space nearby to invite me to do the same. With a slight nervousness I took his offer, his arm coming around me and gently pulling me close against his side.
"Comfortable?" he quietly asked.
"Y-Yes," I answered with a slight awkwardness.
He chuckled softly and resumed his reading, slowly running his fingers through my unkempt hair to ease my nerves. From the gentle contact, the soft whirr of his breathing, and the occasional flick of a book page I was gradually lulled to sleep.
Daniel nudged me awake not long afterward to suggest going to bed, putting aside his reading for the night. We did so, his arm over the top of me and the end of his snout resting atop my head. After a few nudges of his nose in my hair we began to drift off to sleep.
Just before I became one with my dreamscape I was startled back awake from a loud slam out in the hall.
---
My roommate is still without a job, so if you enjoy my content please consider supporting it and helping us out. It's been a rough year.
https://www.patreon.com/ratte
https://ko-fi.com/ratte
https://paypal.me/silasagnostos
Discord server
Tarov
MemberUh oh...
UH Oh!
This chapter is goob. Lot's of stuff coming together, and it helps refresh the memory.
Login to respond »