His usual method of querying the intelewave was unhelpful. Humans, as it turned out, were a varied group with different needs depending on culture, environment, and preferences. Simply stocking sustenance and hydropods would not be enough for Cassie’s comfort. He could ask Eleri, but he doubted she would help him. The human didn’t seem to like him very much and clearly felt protective of Cassie. He couldn’t blame her, but he also couldn’t be expected to care for Cassie without more information. Maybe S’samph would have some insight? He lived with a human after all.
It was too much. He couldn’t think about taking care of Cassie while mired in his own anxieties about destroying her. Örim left his research station for his workbench, finding occupation, if not solace, in shaping wires into tiny creatures. His hands found themselves bending wires as he replayed the sequence. He’d been staring at the data. Cassie had been suffocating, and he’d been staring at the data. She couldn’t call out for help. He’d been trying to rework her protocols. She wasn’t a project. Cassie was a person.
A person he found himself preoccupied with.
The wires snapped. Örim stared down at his mess. He disposed of the broken wires, using his craft knife to remove the sharp edges. Örim started again, shaping more deliberately. A pichari this time. Maybe Cassie would like it. If she ever looked at him again. If she didn’t hate him. Örim would bend a million pichari for her forgiveness, and he wasn’t entirely sure it would be enough. Ten amps went through her fragile body. She crumpled.
He placed the tiny pichari into his pocket. It wasn’t much in the way of a gift. He might never be allowed near her again if she didn’t want him to be. No doubt S’samph would keep him awayif that was her wish. But K’kaen had said she was asking for him. Maybe it was just to yell like Eleri. He’d accept it if that was what helped her cope. Whatever she needed from him, she’d have.
CHAPTER 20
Cassie
Everything hurt. If she missed the timing on the pain medication or skipped a dose, her whole throat burned. Writing on the datapad was painful. Trying to speak and remembering she couldn’t was worse. Eleri only knew a few of her most basic hand signs. Days without having a conversation about anything other than her pain levels or ability to swallow started to leave her hollow and brittle.
No one other than the healers had come to visit her since the day she’d spoken to Rhea. She wanted to see Örim, but every time she asked Eleri about it, the healer brushed her off. The curtain parted and Eleri came in with her second nutritional pack of the day.
“Hey, Cassie. How’s the pain this afternoon?”
Fine. She didn’t bother writing it out on the datapad.
“Ok. Let me know if anything is painful or if you need to use the lavatory. I’m here to help.”
I want to see Örim.The hand signs were familiar enough to make Eleri flinch.
“Maybe tomorrow.”
Finally, to make sure Eleri couldn’t pretend to misunderstand, Cassie dragged her datapad onto her lap. X-P-L-N-Y. The letters just made Eleri frown. “Sorry, Cassie. Can you try that again? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Cassie released a sharp puff of air between her lips and tried again. E-G-S-P-L-A-N-Y.
“Explainy? Oh. You want me to explain why?”
Exhausted, Cassie dropped her hands from the datapad and nodded.
“Örim did something bad to you.”
She shook her head. It was bad enough everyone was talking around her like she wasn’t there. She didn’t want people also speaking down to her like she was too stupid to understand. The explanation wasn’t going to make a difference. Eleri had her opinions. Cassie lifted the datapad again.
W-A-N-T-U-S-E-E-H-I-M. M-I-C-H-O-Y-S.
“Cassie…”
Her finger jabbed hard at the datapad, trying to reinforce how little she cared about Eleri’s opinion on this. Eleri wilted, hands dropping down to her sides.
“You’re right. It’s your choice. If you want to see him, I shouldn’t stop you. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. Today you still need to rest.”
Ok.Cassie was quiet, compliant as Eleri hooked up her nutrition pack and adjusted the dosing of pain medication. The promise of seeing Örim the next day was all she had wanted anyway.
CHAPTER 21
Cassie
When he arrived in the classroom the next morning, the students were all whispering amongst themselves. “Is human Cassie dead?” Grumm, one of the urtazi spawn, finally asked aloud.
Örim sputtered for a moment, scouring his thumbs over his wrist nodes until he was able to collect himself enough to answer the question without losing all his composure.
“We have our lessons to start.”
