*Trigger warning - mention of postpartum psychosis - no harm to children.
"Have you heard from T'ahrou recently?"
"Not since the last time. He said he was going to try to get Dhadtoudi to handle the pup today, but he hasn't given any updates on their progress."
O'kaor stood just behind Brielle as she sat eating at a table in the facility's mess hall. It was an odd mixture of grain-based pasta, meat, and vegetables smothered in a red goopy sauce. The sight of it made his stomach churn, especially as traces of the aroma slipped through the filtration system of his mask.
"I will never understand how you can bare to consume such atrocities."
"Goulash is a delicacy my friend. Don't knock it till you try it. Besides, there's plenty of horrific crap that your people eat, and I had to suck it up and eat that for so fucking long. The least you could do is try a bite."
She held the hard plastic tray above her head for the cloaked male to try, much to the confusion of the dozen or so staff members in the room.
"I would rather starve." Brielle cast him a judgmental look over her shoulder and he continued. "Oomans place so many chemicals and preservatives in their food that any nutritional value it once had is virtually eradicated. Not to mention your methods of cooking the food only does more harm to your body than the food itself."
"You must have grown up on the north side of the solar system, 'cuz that sounds bougie as hell, Ghost." He rolled his eyes at her strange human phrases. He didn't even try to understand them anymore, because it only made him angry. In the distance he could hear the echoing rumble of Tah'rou's voice bellowing from deep within the facility. "That didn't sound happy...do you want to go check it out?" O'kaor was already running towards the sound before Brielle could even finish the question. "Okay, good talk. We'll catch up later." She stabbed her fork through a noodle and swirled it around the tray to build a thick layer of sauce on it.
A few moments later Brielle noticed a few armed guards running behind a couple of medical staff, all of them heading in the same direction that O'kaor had ran. She wanted to go with him, but after Dhadtoudi's last freak-out, O'kaor had decided it best if she stay out of sight until they could get her in a more stable mindset.
Brielle's spine crawled at the memory of Dhadtoudi's cold, furious eyes burning into her soul. She could still feel the cold metal of O'kaor's blade against her throat as the taller woman was about to take her life, and the sound of the woman's blood dripping from the bandages that covered her stitches and incisions - most of which had torn to some degree in the midst of all the madness.
Another roar bellowed through the facility and humans began shouting. Ignoring her urges, Brielle stayed where she was and tried to focus on her lukewarm meal. Time passed slowly, seemingly taking hours before O'kaor returned, thankfully not sporting any new wounds.
"What was that about?"
"She must be restrained. She will be medicated and kept separate from T'ahrou and the pup."
"What? Why?!"
"The Oomans called it 'psychosis'. In the time that I have known Dhadtoudi, she has never been this feral."
"Psychosis...oh God, she didn't..." Brielle clasped a hand over her mouth, not even wanting to say the words.
"No harm was done. The pup was removed before the struggle began. She had enough mental clarity to tell T'ahrou to take him and leave. He handled the situation until the Oomans arrived."
"How much of a struggle?"
O'kaor clicked in frustration for a moment. "If I don't have to strain my ribs, arm, or leg for the rest of the time we are here, I will not complain."
Brielle stifled a chuckle. "Dude, your ribs now? How does she beat you up so bad? You're like five times her size."
"She has festered pride and anger in her soul since she was a pup. Her need to prove herself drive's her to reach levels of prowess that you would never be able to reach. Training with Tah'kath, then Zaiyu, and now T'ahrou has done nothing but stoke the fire. She does not walk away unharmed, but Paiya blesses her with a pain tolerance that I cannot understand seeing in a pyode-amedha. Luckily for both of us, healing gel can correct a large amount of damage in a small amount of time, but the soreness dwells long after the wounds have sealed."
Brielle shook her head in disbelief. "It's still hard to believe that you get thrown around like a ragdoll by a 'simple Ooman female'." She displayed air quotations with the insult, as well as used a deep, silly, mocking voice to imitate her mate's voice. "You know even with everything I've gone through over the years, you three terrify me more than anyone else that's tried to kill me. I don't think I'll get over that."
O'koar let loose a deep rumble in his chest, his mandibles clicking slowly. "You fear me as well?"
"I mean yeah...probably some deep-rooted self-preservation instinct passed down from my ancestors...or whatever kind of crap you would call it. I'm sure I'll get used to it over time, but right now your dangerous animalistic tendencies are a bit overwhelming still."
"You did not complain of my 'dangerous animalistic tendencies' when we were on the mother world, Naxa." She could hear the petty mocking tone in his clicks and growls, but his words made her blush all the same.
"Shut up! C'mon, let's go find Zaiyu. I'm sure he's ready to bitch one of you out." She rose to her feet and moved to turn in her food tray at the designated area.
"One of us? You believe you will not suffer his wrath as well?"
"Well duh, I more or less saved his sister's life. If anything, he should thank me."
YOU ARE READING
You Don't Belong Here
FanfictionBrielle Ronaldi has devoted her life's work to uncovering the secrets of extraterrestrial life. After her world was turned upside down, Brielle finds herself quickly climbing the ranks of the G.L. Brooks Association. A recent addition to the facilit...