Settling In

ValerianKai sat on his balcony, gazing at the cloudy sky. The clouds had been threatening rain all morning, but he knew that the clouds wouldn't release their drops for many hours yet. In his many studies, he had learned how to read the skies and predict the weather.

He had decided to stay on at the mansion to help tend the grounds and gardens. He knew that Blade was looking forward to cooking with fresh herbs and spices, and there was the herb shed that the blue woman had built and worked in.

He rose and slowly walked back inside, his body was repairing itself, the bruises fading. He moved through his room into the bathroom to soak in a hot bath. His limbs and muscles were still stiff and sore from sitting in one position for weeks, not moving for fear of raising the ire of the evil woman who had imprisoned him.

As he removed his shirt, stripping for his bath, he caught a glimpse of his back in the full length mirror that hung on the back of the bathroom door. He cringed at the sight of the scars he now bore there. He thought he was lucky, nobody else had seen them yet, and he was unprepared to answer any questions about them at this point, he was still dealing with what had happened within his own head. He healed as fast as his brothers yes, but should the wounds cause severe enough trauma, his skin would heal with scars, and the woman had caused such wounds.

As the water ran in the tub, he sat, legs crossed, on the soft rug he had set on the cold tile floor. He closed his eyes, his hands folded in a peak before his chest. His breathing was slow and controlled, in and out in a steady rhythm. He closed his eyes and focused, drawing his mind into a place of blankness and calm. His eyes opened once more as the tub was full, his focus allowing him to work through and beyond the pain his body was in.

When he emerged he felt a lot better, the heat and meditation helped a lot. He picked up the gauze he had gotten from Dr Ben earlier in the day, and wound it around his abdomen and ribs, hiding the scars from view before slipping on a muscle shirt. He was going to meet Arania in her herb shed and help her work out the damage done to the soil and plants and see if there was anything that could be done or if she would have to start over. He smiled, he would be back to doing the things he enjoyed, and would have a chance to show his gratitude for her helping him.

He slipped into a loose pair of pants, followed by a pair of nice leather sandals before heading downstairs and out the back door.

The day was beautiful, a crisp scent in the air of fall and the promises of cold yet to come. The clouds had faded and scattered while he was bathing, revealing a beautiful blue autumn sky. He smiled and took a deep breath. It would grow cold in a few weeks, and the green things would sleep. He was glad they had the greenhouse here, it would allow him to keep working on his favorite thing throughout the winter.

"Enough dawdling." He muttered to himself and crossed the large yard, ignoring the pain in his muscles, and knocked on the door to the herb shed. He raised an eyebrow as a glowing mark showed itself on the door at the touch of his hand, and jumped when he felt a light touch on his arm.

"Oops, sorry, didn't mean to startle you." Arania stood there, a basket in her arms. He could see two pairs of gloves, and many small gardening tools. "You made it out here before I got back I see. Ouvrez la porte."

He watched, a little surprised as the glow faded and the door opened.

"I pulled the padlock off before I went to get my stuff, and left the seal in place. With all the stuff I used to have growing in here, I had to do something to keep the thetas out, since they could break a padlock."

"That does make sense." He smiled and stretched as he waited for her to set her basket down. She was right, it was a mess in here, but he could see some good signs as well.

"This is it, I bought some seeds from the local garden shop, the smaller one carries stuff the big ones don't. But I am concerned most about this plant here, it's not completely dead yet, but I don't know if I can get another one very easily if it does." She picked up a small pot with an equally small plant, its leaves brown and yellow at the edges.

"Hmmm..." He examined the plant carefully, sticking a finger in the soil and bringing it up to examine it closely. "I'm surprised it survived this long, there's traces of salt in the soil, not enough to be noticeable to the smell or such, but enough to kill a plant."

She nodded and together they got a new pot and fresh soil, carefully shaking all the old poisoned soil from its roots before replanting it in the fresh soil. Together they got a lot of the seeds planted to take root, and cleaned all the rest of the soil in the shed.

"I know of a way to purify that tainted soil, but it will take a few weeks." He dumped the last pile of soil outside the door, and wiped his sweaty forehead. He watched Arania add another plant to the compost pile and smiled a bit, pulling his shirt off to try to cool down. He turned back to look inside the shed and admire all the work they had done that day. He startled, and turned sharply, pulling his already sore and bruised muscles as he heard a sharp gasp from beside him.

"What happened to your ribs?" Arania walked over, pressing a hand gently to his side. She could tell his ribs were nothing more than bruised, he couldn't have done all the work with worse, but that didn't call for the amount of tape he had wrapped around him.

He sighed. "I got cut up a bit, the rocks and all." He looked at his feet, hoping she wouldn't pry further. While his head was down, she ran her hand down his side, and the tape vanished into nothingness.

"HEY!" He yelled. "What are you doing?!"

She ran her hand over the marks she saw on his back, sad that she was right and he felt the need to hide the marks. "What did she do to you Val? You don't have to hide the truth."

He stepped inside the shed, away from her touch, and collapsed onto the ground, emotionally and physically tired. "She whipped me, and sometimes, she burned my back when I wouldn't do what she wanted me to. I lost count of the number of times she.." He paused, having a hard time getting the words to come. "She raped me. There are points I blacked out and woke up cut even worse, so I have no idea what she did to me in those times, nor do I want to know honestly."

Arania sat beside him, motioning with her hand and closing the shed to allow some privacy so none of the others would hear until he was ready to share it with them. "She's gone now, and none of what she did was your fault, please remember that. I might be able to help the marks fade, at least a little, if you would like."

When he nodded, she leaned in close, face almost touching his. "This won't hurt you any." She whispered before pressing her lips to his.

A bright glow flooded the room, forcing both of them to close their eyes. She remained like that for a long moment before pulling away, and going to her hands and knees. He stretched, feeling the relief from pain and smiled. Arania knelt there coughing and gagging, the sound harsh and rasping in the small shed. He looked over and patted her back, firmly but not hard enough to hurt her. The familiar sight of the black flies flooding from her mouth startled him. He was surprised to see her sit, no sign of anything wrong after the last of the things dissipated.

"I hate that part." She chuckled and turned, again finding her face close to his. She smiled nervously.

"Thank you, I feel a lot better." He smiled and stretched, the muscles on his lean body flexing under his skin. She shivered and watched him. He noticed this, and looked back at her, and startled her when he leaned in and tenderly kissed her on the lips.

"I know you have bonded with Mus and Sparrow, but I am not seeking your heart....your friendship, and maybe on occasion, your bed, but your friendship is most important of all." He whispered after their lips parted.

"I think I can handle that Val, a person can never have enough friends." She smiles and kissed him again, allowing him to touch her.

They enjoyed each other's bodies many times in the shed before returning to the house for dinner. They decided to keep their trysts between themselves for now, but it was unimportant whether the others found out. Friends with benefits, it definitely had its advantages.