You Don't Belong Here

Chapter Thirty Six

Brielle woke on one end of the reptilian hide sofa with a large fur pelt draped over her body. She sat up and noticed Dhadtoudi sitting on the opposite end of the furniture with her knees tucked to her chest. Surprisingly enough, she was wearing human clothes that consisted of an oversized grey hoodie and black leggings. "Good morning..." Dhadtoudi looked at her with dark, sunken eyes and responded with a nod. "Are you alright?"

"Dhadtoudi...no talk now. Head..." she tapped lightly against her skull. "No good. Much hurt."

"You have a headache?" Another nod. "I bet you're hungover. You drank a lot last night. Do you normally drink that much?"

"N-no." Dhadtoudi shifted her position slightly until she was able to pop her neck. "No c'ntlip since Daih'kea."

"What's Daih'kea?"

Dhadtoudi was silent for a moment before shaking her head ever so slightly. "No talk now..." Brielle pursed her lips as she faced ahead and sat in silence for several minutes. Eventually Dhadtoudi clicked softly and leaned her head back. "Speak."

"What?" Brielle glanced over at the woman and furrowed her brow in confusion.

"You like pup. New place. Excited." Brielle nodded but remained silent. "Excited pup chatter. You speak."

"You're fine with me talking..?" Dhadtoudi nodded. "How much do you remember from last night?"

"Enough..."

"Do you remember what you told me?"

Dhadtoudi nodded absentmindedly for a moment. "Many thing." Brielle nodded in agreement. "What time?"

Taking a deep breath and turning her body to fully face the larger woman, Brielle held firm eye contact with her. "Do you remember what you said about Loriette?" Dhadtoudi stared at her for a moment before slowly shaking her head. "You told me about what happened...about the group trying to sacrifice you. Is that why you have such a grudge against me? Against humans?" Dhadtoudi nodded once. "Okay, that makes sense, and I completely respect your reasoning. I can't say that I wouldn't be more than a little upset myself had I been in your position." Dhadtoudi said nothing, and Brielle continued. "I understand that your cultures honor system is really intense; if someone disrespects you, they have to die. But why did you have such a vendetta against me if I didn't do anything to offend you?"

"You smelled like them. That reason enough."

"I smelled like humans? I don't know how I couldn't..."

"You smelled like Loriette." Brielle's eyes widened slightly at this, but Dhadtoudi's expression remained stoic as always. "T'ahrou smell it. He tell me. Thought you one of them." Brielle nodded in understanding now. "O'kaor say you smell like Brooks." Her heart sank now.

"Yeah, that's...that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Dhadtoudi waited patiently for an explanation, and Brielle took another awkward breath. "Before you left Earth...what was your name?"

A long, heavy silence passed between them and Brielle swore she could hear her heart thumping inside her head. "Sarah Macintosh of Loriette." Brielle forced a sad smile as the threat of tears stung her eyes.

"Brooks was my boss. I worked for him. We were semi-romantic for a while, but it didn't last long. He always had a habit of calling me by the wrong name." Still staring emotionlessly, Dhadtoudi waited. "He was raised in Loriette. He would have been about your age...he always talked about how I had to be Sarah, and how he had to take me back home one day. I figured Sarah was just a childhood friend that died in a tragic accident and he had never been able to properly cope with the loss...but after seeing his obsession with your clan, after going through all of this, and after what you told me last night...I honestly believe that he was part of that cult."

"If he was?" Brielle didn't say anything for a moment as she tried to choose her words very carefully. "Are you one?" She shook her head. "Do you share beliefs?" She shook her head again. "Then why does it matter what he was?" Brielle opened her mouth to argue, to explain that although she had worked for the strange, obsessed man, she did not want to be affiliated with him or his memory...but Dhadtoudi cut her off. "Acts of one do not show truth of others. Tah'rou is like large pup, but he wise. I know when I need listen."

Brielle smiled now as she began to fold the makeshift blanket and held it neatly in her lap. "You know, you're not so bad Dhadtoudi. It takes a lot to admit when you're wrong, and even more so to admit when someone else is right."

The larger woman nodded now, a faint trace of a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Pride aches. Do not adjust, soft one."

"You're soft too, ya know?" Dhadtoudi shook her head and rapped her knuckles against her covered abdomen.

"Hard like d'lex. No break Dhadtoudi." She then slapped an open palm firmly against Brielle's ever so lightly toned stomach that was exposed by the sports bra-like spandex top. "You get hard. You not break. You break, you die. We help you live."

"Survival...Ghost would be proud." Brielle chuckled softly but Dhadtoudi took on a hard expression. "What's wrong?"

"O'kaor is moron. He big. He strong. Not use brain. You kick his ass. Show him to respect. Male obey female. How you say he is? Flap-cake?"

"He's a twat-waffle..?" Dhadtoudi smiled a big, toothy grin and cocked excitedly as she slapped her palm against Brielle's arm in a playful manner.