The Touch of Infection

Chapter 41: Like a human child

Carisa woke up to find Marnik all the way on her side. Pushing him off did nothing, didn't even appear to wake him up for a second.

"Marnik, get off... MARNIK!" Even as she screamed at him, he was lightly snoring against her shoulder, "Bloody murder!"

He opened one eye and closed it again, turning away from her, "You have bad breath."

Carisa slapped his arm, and got out of bed, "You know I can make you sleep outside."

"I'm too tired to care." He snuggled his head against the pillow, turning his back on her, "It's too early."

"Well there's no window, so what do I know."

He pointed at a plain wall with symbols on it, "Just read the time."

"I don't even know what those symbols mean." She protested and hit him with the pillow, "Marnik wake up we forgot about the commander!"

He instantly sat up, "Hurry up and get up then! He didn't even tell us when to meet... I hate this."

"I am up. Now come on." Carisa closed herself in the bathroom to get ready while Marnik changed in the room.

When she walked out he had a band on his hand, " Let's tie your hair, less probability of it getting pulled."

He turned her around and pulled her hair up, trying it up into a bun. His hands lingered on her shoulders until he wrapped his hands around her, "If anything bothers you at all... Tell me."

She nodded and turns to look at him, "I will."

Quickly enough both of them where done and ready to go. Going through the halls in a quick pace until arriving the commanders room. Waiting outside until it was opened by the man himself. He looked at Marnik and then Carisa, opening the door enough for them to see the child behind him. A young one fairly smaller than what Carisa had been expecting.

"Morning." Carisa said and waved at the little one.

He ran and hid behind the furnitur, didn't say a word while Vasin let them in. He stood and watched her walk over to him, crouching down to his level, "Hi."

Marnik stood besides her and whispered some words to her ear, the next thing he heard was her trying her best to speak in their native language to the child.

The boy looked so curious at her voice and appearance he stepped out, looking at her in curiosity. She held a hand out to him, to which he slowly placed his own. When Marnik came closer the boy let out a shriek and hid again. Carisa sent Marnik back with the commander, giving him a stern look to which he raised his hands in defeat.

"This isn't going well." Vasin told him as he continued to keep an eye on the kid, "He doesn't like anyone, sometimes even shrieks with me."

"Give her a minute, she barely got here." Marnik demanded and crossed his hands. Watching Carisa kneeling down to the boy out of the corner and grab him up in her arms.

She smiled and poked his nose, "You're so cute " looking at his eyes she signed gladly, "know how to use your eyes." She giggled and sat down with him in her lap, looked at the commander and asked, "What's his name?"

"Bevyn." He answered shortly and watched slightly amazed how his kid, fiddled with her hair that had come undone.

Bevyn leaned against Carisa's chest and looked up at her, his eyes fixated on her. Carisa couldn't help but feel bad, there wasn't a mom in the picture and seeing how unfriendly his father was made her know how lonely the boy must feel.

She pushed his hair out of his face, having a clear look at his ears, pointing outwards, "Who does he spend the most time with?"

Carisa didn't look at Vasin when asking this, making him annoyed but answered, "Me. Other than that he's got tutors that come and go."

"What do you do when you're with him? Do you play any games?"

Vasin raised a brow confused, "There's no time for games. He's going to be a commander one day just like me, and the least he should be thinking about is games. I've taught him tactics and nothing but the best etiquette."

Carisa would have glared in that moment if it wasn't for the kid in her lap. She looked at him and huffed with a smile on her face,"Well... I sure do hope all the kids here aren't raised that way. Because if that's the case no wonder they shriek and scream when seeing someone new."

Vasin growled and galred at her. She grabbed Bavyn up in her arms, his hands wrapping around her neck, while the bottom two held onto her hands. He giggled slightly before hiding his face and looking away from his father to stare at her hair.

Before Vasin could say anything she was at the door, "I'm taking him out, he's going to play and be like a human kid for at least today."

Marnik didn't complain and opened the door, hiding the smirk and looking at his commander, "I'll make sure to bring him back... sorry for her tone."

Carisa walked ahead of Marnik, feeling her hands heavy with the kid she set him down and held his hand, "Marnik how do I ask where he wants to go?"

Marnik gave her the words to use and Bavyn was confused. Grabbing her hand he pulled her in a direction without a word spoken. Leading her to a room filled with books and other materials, Marnik walked closer to her and whispered, "This is a classroom. I think he misunderstood."

She leaned down next to him as he let her arm go and grabbed a book. Handing it to her, she flipped through the pages, letting Marnik see what it was about without getting too close.

"It's just a book for children. Teaches some of the basics for plant identification." Marnik told her and stepped back when seeing the kid cower from him.

Carisa set the book aside and lifted the kid in her arms again, slowly inching closer to Marnik so the kid wouldn't shriek. She rushed Marnik's hair off his face like she'd done for the kid, "He's Marnik."

Bavyn didn't move towards him but didn't quite scream or anything, just keeping his hold on her until he looked away and whispered to her ear words she didn't understand. Carisa whispered them back to Marnik as best as she could and the kid only seemed to hide behind her.

Marnik sighed, "He said he's scared of me."

Understanding Carisa frowned and walked out the room with both of them, "Aren't there any toys for children?"

"Well sure there are... but children weren't exactly brought in this trip. The only kids you'll find are ones born in this planet. He's an example of that, he's one of the first kids to be born here. No kid in this ship is older than two years old, so finding a toy, is going to be hard." Marnik explained the situation.