Beauties and Beasts

Chapter 84: brought to you by the Shire

I've made 'angry radio; (aka, political and new talk shows) banned for sunday, so sweet, sweet peace. I'm really tired of the angry berating of 'them Democrats' or 'conservatives this.'

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Aside from Vincent, Aetius, the Captain, and Henry, who somehow always was set to guard them next to Vincent and Aetius but whom Shay had yet to have any direct contact with, there were only six other members of the bunny tribe.

Despite this, the Captain spoke as though the bunnies numbered in at least a few dozen. Shay found this both amusing and sad.

"When I was young," Vincent said over a meal of the bunny favorite nuts (the kind Joseph had shared with her that tasted strongly of roasted sunflower seeds and peanuts), "There were about that many. All the burrows had an owner. There might have never been so few bunnies."

When she asked what had happened to the rest of Aetius's children besides Theo, however, them being the last litter to be born, Vincent just shook his head mournfully. Though it had become easier for him to speak around her, he was still selective with the words he spoke. It suited Shay, as she found the quiet comforting and the conversation more profound in its shortness, even if it lacked the depth that Curtis and Harvey could have given her.

Neara, on the other hand, was no end of frustration.

"No," she said flatly. "I'm not going to help you pretend that you miscarried. That makes no stupid sense, you already have enough cuts as it is and an infected one on top of that--which, by the way, might do the miscarrying for you."

Neara had paled at that.

"You can miscarry just by having an infected cut?"

"Why do you think dental care is such a big deal back in our world when you're pregnant?"

"...it is?"

Shay huffed in exasperation. "Look, when you're pregnant your body tones down it's immune system a bit so that it doesn't reject the fetus. Because of this, when there is an infection, in order to fight the infection the immune system would pick up again and compromise the system. The body does it for its own survival. Why do you want to fake it anyways?"

"....nevermind. It doesn't matter now. I was sort of panicking."

"That's an understatement. Look, we're in this situation for now so we might as well make the best of it. I'll do my best to help get your infection under control. It isn't that bad yet. Mostly just inflammation, not much pus. Also, I advise you have Aetius bring you some hot water from that spring to soak your side in. No soaking in it yourself, because that could hurt the babies, but it should do good for your cut."

And, of course, Neara did a bunch of hmming and hawing and whining about talking to Aetius and about how it was sacred and she didn't want to get into another fight, so Shay just threw her hands into the air and hunted down the brown fuzzy turd herself, which wasn't hard as he had been outside the door again, despite the still drizzling sky.

"No need," he said. "I already heard. I'll get the spring water."

"Good man. Male. Whatever."

Aetius shook water off his ears pointlessly as he stood up, but he didn't leave instantly. Instead, he gave Shay a brief nod.

"Thank you. For your help."

Shay frowned. "She's my friend?"

Aetius gave a tight little smile. "But you hate me. Yet you've..." he gave a helpless gesture, casting a soft look at Neara.