ISOH / TAOAA - One-Shots

Shul

The day O Vokkra brought Kohgrash into the manor was the day Shul seriously considered finding another job.

Well, that wasn't true. This was probably the best job he could ever get with his education. L'rrim was the breadwinner in this family of two, and while most of Shul's check went into food for himself, he still wanted to pretend like he was providing for his mate. 

"Relax, my love," L'rrim told him one night over holo when he had expressed these worries of not being good enough. "You're the only one who can put up with my rambling. I wouldn't get rid of you." 

Shul was a good listener. Still, he often squirreled away some extra money to buy L'rrim some of the expensive candied meats she liked, shipping them off to the Core in-between each other's visits. It was the least he could do when she paid all the bills. 

He knew that if he brought it up, O Vokkra would increase his paycheck tenfold. It wasn't that he was paid badly, it was just that L'rrim was paid so much more that his check looked paltry in comparison. O Vokkra was kind like that. In fact, he was always kind. 

"How are you, Shul?" he'd ask in passing, glancing down at him as if he fully expected an answer. His surprised expression seemed to be good enough because O Vokkra's face went from curious to pleased before he walked away. 

"How was your visit to the Core?" "How was your day off?" "Did you enjoy the Competition?" "You must be sleeping better - you look more relaxed than yesterday." 

If Shul didn't know any better - one had to be completely blind to see that O Vokkra was smitten with the head cook, Thruul - he would say that he was getting flirted with. O Vokkra was just that nice. No one was nice to him unless it was L'rrim. It was always L'rrim. 

Regardless, when O Vokkra walked through the doors of the mansion after a spontaneous visit to the capitol - and now Shul was suspecting that was a lie - with a pet carrier in his arms, Shul should have run the other way, screaming. 

"If you could please ensure that no one is to bother me, Shul," O Vokkra growled after having chased out Thruul and the other servants when whatever was in that cage gave a shriek of fright, "That would be great." 

Shul didn't reply - because the door slammed shut right in his face after that - but he gave a short bow. 

The mansion was alight with whispers of what he could have possibly brought home. Bhrak the driver was grilled relentlessly, as he was the one to bring O Vokkra to the pet store, but the elderly Vokkrus's lips remained sealed shut. Shul actually had to do his job of shooing people away from O Vokkra's quarters, because they got it into their heads that they could sneak a peek inside, no matter the Vokkra's wrath if they caught him doing so. 

"Come on, Shul, lighten up!" the servant, Pyim, told him. They were looking at him with a weird look on their face. Hope, maybe? "Vokkra won't even notice me. I'll be in and out." 

Shul looked at them disbelievingly. "Are you that stupid?"

"You let Thruul in just this morning! What business does he have in there?" 

"So, you are that stupid." 

Well, let's just say that it was only Vokkra's odd fondness for him that let him keep his job. He was certainly winning no favors from the other staff. He thought that O Vokkra simply liked his dependency. He was the only Vokkrus who could do his job. 

The mansion got a glimpse of the little critter one morning. The lucky servants who adorned O Vokkra with his jewelry came out whispering with glee when they saw him, and Shul himself was burning with curiosity - though, he couldn't admit that to himself. He's never seen a mammal in person, before.