Ashsib and the Cat Beast

Chapter Nine

Sedatives took care of Namere's mood swings and she was much easier to watch after that. Elian, not once complaining about his lack of sleep, examined her while the rest of the crew took a shift trying to get some rest. Ashsib spent his time staring at the grain of the planks that made up his cabin's ceiling. He went rummaging for breakfast after a while and met Bretta and Calder doing the same. He settled at the small table in the corner of the kitchen to let the duo work.

"The Captain and Pashqua are discussing routes right now." Calder spoke nearly nonstop as Bretta mixed flour and oil for pancakes, "They'll find a safe way. I peeked in on Challah before coming here, she looked healthy. Vel is on Namere watch again, huh, that must mean it's around eight now. Wow, the morning has progressed while I wasn't looking. Anyway-"

"Calder, please," Bretta said sternly, "I don't have the mental capacity to listen to your prattling."

"Just filling Ashsib in." Calder pouted.

"He's filled, Cal, he probably couldn't sleep at all, so he's got even less brains than usual." Bretta checked the griddle's temperature with a few drops of water before dolloping round spoonfuls of batter on it.

"Hey." Ashsib wearily defended himself, "Habthch!"

"You haven't caught a cold, have you?" Bretta glanced at him.

"Do you bite your tongue with that nonsense?" Calder asked, completely unconcerned with Ashsib's answer.

"No and no." Ashsib snorted wetly, "Your burnt pancakes must have done it."

The duo quickly flipped the bubbling disks.

"They're just dark, not burnt." Bretta declared.

"What's burnt?" Vel appeared, sniffing.

"They're not burnt!" Bretta snarled.

"Uh, okay." Vel knew when to pick his battles with the fiery woman.

"Aren't you supposed to be watching Namere?" Calder shot a quibbling remark at his constant enemy.

Vel didn't rise to the accusation, "Captain's talkin' to her."

Ashsib knocked over the cup he was sipping water from in a startled flail, "She conscious!?"

"Well, the Captain couldn't hold a conversation very well if she wasn't." Vel took one of the finished pancakes and bit into it. He pulled a grimace, "They are burnt."

Ashsib stumbled away as the three began bickering in earnest. He didn't really want to see her, Ashsib was pretty much fed up with the woman. All he had when he thought about her was ire and, with all the trouble she caused, he thought about her a lot. Still, her condition had been completely out of character. She had been composed, even in Beasthood, up until the point of whatever the lightning cat had been, and Ashsib had been jealous of that composure. He wanted to ask her what happened. That feeling of unease still shook in his innards, making his legs weak.

Ashsib skidded down the hallway, his holey socks allowing enough skin to stop himself before he hit the door. Staring at the cabin door, though, he couldn't find the courage to open it.

"Oh, it's you, Ash." Elian's tone was even, giving nothing away, "I should have figured, no one else runs as loud in socks."

"I heard- Vel said- is it true?" Ashsib stuttered, trying to say everything at once.

"Yes, and no." Elian gave a concerned glance back into the room, "She spoke a bit, but none of it was coherent."

Ashsib's anger spiked again. How could that woman be so out of it? Did she plan on abandoning him like he was, damned to live his life with the Beast threatening to arise at any moment?