Description
A Greater Society - Chapter 96: Rendezvous by Ratte
Story
The weeks following I watched over Samuel closely. He wasn't terribly thrilled to be monitored like a child, but I'd rather he be annoyed than be potentially hurt in another pointless clash. He did, at the very least, seem a bit more relaxed, though I'd notice his eyes dart toward the hallway every so often. When this occurred I would also look, though most of the time there was nothing to be seen. It could be that shifts in light just caught his attention, but given how severe his corruption had become it was just as likely to be the start of a hallucination. He'd been caught up in a fear-type corruption in the past so I would expect at least some of that to happen again. Being so timid and with his history, it just made the most sense.
There came a point where I took Riv aside while Kuri stayed out in the lobby with Sam. Riv was confused, but could tell there was something more serious afoot.
"Riv, I'm gonna need a favor of ya," I said after taking him into a storage room.
He looked around the near-empty room, confused what this could be about.
"It's real easy and ya basically do it already, but could ya make sure to watch over the younger kids?" I asked.
"Uh, sure?" he answered. "Why?"
"Just helps keep everything runnin' smoothly, just like takin' care of things around the house," I said. "I'll really need you guys to stay on top of chores, too, given your father's workload. He just don't have the time to do much more than sit behind that desk and I gotta be out in the lobby more often."
He groaned.
"Now, now, I know you don't like chores, but they're things you gotta do," I chuckled, shaking my head. "Better get used to it now because it ain't gonna get any better when you're out on your own."
"...You're not kicking me out, are you?" he asked, suddenly very concerned.
"What? No, of course not," I replied. "You're welcome here as long as ya want, just figure at some point you'd like to go on your own. That's all."
He stood rigid and nervous.
"You willin' to do that, though?" I asked, placing my hand up on his shoulder. "I know ya don't like chores and being around the little kids can get tiresome, but it would really help us out. I'm sure Sura wouldn't mind helping out with those things, too, if you ask."
"I guess," he sighed.
"Thank you," I said, pulling him in for a hug. "Things around the home might get a bit tight for a while, and if that happens I do apologize. We're in a bit of a rough spot."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I'll...try to explain when I can, but that won't be today," I quietly said.
"I'm gettin' pretty tired of bein' left in the dark all the time, you know," he said with frustration. "This is my life, too."
"I know it is, honey, but there are some things we don't want to burden y'all with," I squeezed. "You're kids. We want you to live like kids and leave the adult problems to the adults."
"I'm gonna be an adult in a few months, though," he commented, though a little less angrily this time.
"And that's a few months, which ain't today," I said with a sly grin, letting him go. "I'll tell ya what I can, when I can, but you'll need to be patient. There's a lot goin' on and I'd really rather we be out of it before we look back in fondness, sharin' stories around the campfire about it."
I opened the door to let him out, my following close behind. With the door shut behind me I turned to head down the hall and tend to dinner with Kuri watching over Sam and Tamani tending to the kids in the common rooms. They'd done a good job at keeping the staff at bay, though the irritation on their faces was unmistakable even with the distance they kept. By now they probably knew we were on to them, but I wasn't sure if they knew Morissey was also now aware of some of their bullshit antics. I hoped not, else this would get really difficult, really quick.
It would be Harley's birthday tomorrow and Sam had worked himself into dust to get the money needed to buy her a set of clothes. I pitched in to do the same, adding a nice set of sheets to the expenditure. Earlier today I'd taken a little time to put a cake together, it sitting covered and ready on the kitchen counter for the event. It would be Connor's birthday before too long so, if the cake turned out well, I'd see about doing it again for his.
It was a bit mild this evening so I thought a soup might be a good option for dinner, plus it's easy to throw together. I poured some oil in the pot to heat up while I retrieved some ground beef and pork mix from the icebox, dumping it in a mixing bowl and adding bread crumbs, hard white cheese, egg, and some seasonings. Washing my hands first I dug into the mixture, combining and breaking it up until it was even to my liking. Rolling the mixture into small spheres I set them aside on a large empty plate, transferring them to the pot to sear. While they simmered in the pan I found a jar of tiny rice-shaped pasta I'd gotten for the occasion, setting it aside on the bench while I took out some carrots, celery, and an onion from the icebox.
I'd be going into town again tonight, so I wanted something I knew would be filling.
With a turner I moved around the meat to brown the other sides before coming back to cutting the vegetables, opening the window to let out some of the onion fumes. When the meat was seared I washed the plate and replaced the meat, adding a little more oil and the chopped vegetables to the pot to soften. I mixed the vegetables occasionally with a wooden spoon as I tended to crushing and mincing a few cloves of garlic, adding to the vegetables to simmer for a short time. Once the vegetables were softened and the onions had a nice sheen I poured in a few cups of chicken stock, adding more seasonings until I liked the taste. It would be a short time before it would begin to boil so I washed off the cutting board, lest the onion smell cling to it.
When the soup began to boil I lowered the heat and added the meatballs and pasta, covering it while I dug in the icebox for a recent purchase. Pulling out a paper bag of stuffed pasta I set them aside for the last few minutes while I did the same with a bag of spinach. After about six minutes the stuffed pasta was added to the soup, and after about four more I tore up and added a couple handfuls of spinach. While the spinach wilted I grabbed enough bowls for everyone and poured the glasses of milk, setting them on the table before tending to the soup and doing the same. Taking a quick moment to butter some slices of bread I set those aside on a plate before heading down the hall and calling up the kids for dinner. With me I carried Sam's helping, setting it down on the side shelf before returning to the kitchen to get my own, all of us eating out in the lobby. I made quite a bit so I offered Kuri and Tamani some all the same, their walking out to the lobby with their own glasses and bowls.
This was as normal as life had been over the past few years, and while it wasn't much I would certainly take it. The soup turned out well and the others seemed to agree, and I assured Riv I already cleaned the cutting board and used the least amount of dishes possible. He just rolled his eyes with a little smile.
Dinner didn't last long, the cooler weather bringing out everyone's appetites-- mine included. After everyone was finished and satiated I collected all the bowls and spoons while Riv collected the glasses. Sura and Saffron followed close behind to pitch in with their part of washing up dishes while Harley and Connor stayed out in the lobby, messing around at the table. While Sam worked Harley would ask him questions, anything to get the little man to open up a bit.
"What'cha doin'?" she'd ask.
"...Working," he'd answer.
"Workin' on what?" she'd ask further.
He'd look up to the front of the page before looking back down to where he was writing.
"Copying a personal file," he'd answer again.
"What's a personal file?" she'd then ask.
"It's like a summary of what the town knows about you," he'd respond. "Name, address, race, date of birth, those kinds of things."
"Do I have one?"
"Mhm. Everyone in town has one. We have a copy of yours in the storage room."
"Could I see?"
"...When I am finished with today's work."
Something so mundane seemed to elate her, though I couldn't tell if it were more due to cracking Sam's shell a bit or getting to see what the town knows about her. Knowing children, probably a little bit of both. Sam, too, seemed a little warmed up by Harley's interest and appeared to loosen up some. Connor, on the other hand, just stuck by Harley's side and stayed fairly quiet. He wasn't too talkative but was certainly a cuddler, clinging to whoever was close by. More than a few times I'd see him do the same to Sam, usually when it came time to put the youngest kids to bed. He'd sleepily follow behind him, clinging to his fluffy tail while getting escorted to and from the bathroom before bed.
As distant as Sam might have been at first, he was slowly finding his way back to his old self. It was a process, but he had to start somewhere. At night he'd take out his concealers and, while his physical condition hadn't showed much change, myself and the kids were happy enough to see more of the real him, beneath the sickly red and grey eyes. As long as he kept in those concealers the kids were fortunately blissfully unaware of his state.
After I put Sam down for the night and the two ramiotrans took up their stations in their room I set off for another town meeting. As much as I could I tried to hide all of this from him, lest I make him worry and possibly aggravate his already delicate condition. He'd already pulled so many strings to keep us happy and with a roof over our heads.
Now it was my turn.
The staff would eye me as I walked past them and to the stairs, my returning their unwelcome looks with my own as I descended. Down in the lower hall I took a right and ended up back in the lobby, doing a quick check of Sam's desk to ensure his work had been properly stowed in his safe. It appeared so, so I took that as my signal to head out without worry.
The walk into town was uneventful as usual, though boring wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Despite being sure I was alone there was still that feeling I was being watched, though turning around didn't answer what that feeling might be. With a shrug I continued onward-- I had somewhere to be.
I wound up back at that apartment building, taking the long walk down the bare hall to that door at the far end. A couple knocks and the door would open, that tawny snout poking out of the doorway.
"You ready?" I asked.
"Let me just...put something else on," he said, closing the door once more.
I waited out in the hallway, giving him the time he needed to look a little more put-together. Admittedly it was strange seeing him in anything less than formalwear, even if this were his residence. After a few minutes the door would open once more and he was now dressed in a dark red dress shirt and a pair of khakis, held up by a black belt.
"I-Is it cold out?" he asked before closing the door.
"Eh, a little bit, though it might get colder later," I answered.
He ducked back in to grab something, returning with his black coat and finally closing his door. Morissey walked at my side as we departed the building, our keeping to the dimly-lit back roads and alleys to stay out of the sights of the stationed patrol. Especially with Morissey at my side that was the last thing I needed.
We reached the carpentry shop and I knocked on the back door. Yua answered, though seemed a bit confused given my company.
"Yua, this is Morissey," I said, nudging him forward. "This is the leader of A Greater Society."
"Oh!" she exclaimed, jumping back a little. "Alright, come in."
She stepped aside and let us through, leading us back to the big livingroom before retreating to the living quarters to bring out the rest. A small assembly soon gathered, minus one who went out to retrieve Ulimi. After a few minutes they both joined us, taking a seat.
"Alright," I opened. "Let's begin. Yua, Ulimi-- what did y'all manage to find?"
"Surprisingly, I'd say about half the people we asked expressed some kind of concern about the group," Yua reported. "It wasn't a strong opinion, at least not for the majority, but it was still brought up. Most of it was due to the report of corrupted staff, but a few also mentioned the patrol made them feel uneasy."
"More or less the same things I got," Ulimi shrugged. "Though, even if they didn't really like bein' watched they were understanding about it. Supposedly petty crimes have gone down in some neighborhoods."
Morissey looked a little relieved that not all news was bad news.
"I'm real curious about that corrupted staff thing," Shindi said, looking at Morissey unamused.
Morissey shrunk back in his chair.
"A while back at the foster home Reverend was jumped and badly assaulted by a corrupted staffmember," I recounted. "He'd been wearing concealers so there wasn't an easy way to tell. Please don't blame him for not knowing; we didn't know until it happened. I'd guess word got out from the officers who took him in since we didn't say anything about it."
"...Either that, or it spread from staff," Morissey said. "I do weekly meetings to get everyone up to date, so I did tell them about the corrupted individual and to be careful going forward. It could be that someone unrelated overheard it, or they learned about it by accident. I did not, however, tell them about the assault."
Hm.
"Do you think that, if need be, those with concern might be willin' to push back against the group?" I asked the crowd. "A lotta people might say one thing but be unwilling to do anything about it, especially if it means aiding someone they don't particularly like."
"Honestly, I'm optimistic about it," Yua said with a little shrug. "Some actually expressed concern about the foster home, if the kids there were alright given the corrupted staffmember. I'd like to think they know you have at least one new type, but likely more since you do have to come into town and buy, say, clothing and such for them."
"Really, now?" I said, tilting my head and crossing my arms. "I'm actually quite surprised, but not in a bad way."
"Yanno, I remember two in particular who asked about that," Ulimi chimed in. "What's funny is they were the same two that knocked Reverend down all those years ago. Guess you guys managed to make a good impression on them somehow, mentioned the work on the infirmary and how you'd make them drinks to keep them cool."
"I think we had a few others from that building group come by for supplies saying similar things?" Yua said. "They mentioned the infirmary, too."
"If that's the case, it might be worth starting up some kind of countermovement," I said, looking to Morissey. "That said, I want people -- y'all included -- to know that Morissey isn't part of the problem. Unfortunately he's been left in the dark this whole time."
"And how do we know that for sure?" Shindi questioned.
"Because what he's told me has been corroborated by Reverend and one of our kids," I replied. "While he and Reverend might've talked at some point, he and the kids definitely haven't. He's also shown significant behavioral improvement over the years and I think that's something to be supported and appreciated. Cut him a little slack; I wouldn't bring him into this if I didn't trust him."
"Does Reverend trust him?" Ulimi asked. "Sure, they've gone on walks, but you can go to business meetings without knowing anyone from Adam."
"Yes, he does, and that's why I humored him enough to even get this far," I said, smiling at Morissey. "No offense."
"...None taken," he said, his ears flattening.
"In any event, try probing them and seeing if they might be willing to do a little more than talk," I proposed. "We're coming to a point where action is needed, sooner rather than later."
"Of course," Ulimi said, the rest of them nodding.
"Now, I can't stay too late as I've a birthday thing tomorrow for Harley, so I'm gonna head out," I said, standing back up off the chair. "Morissey, you can stay if you'd like or I can take ya back to your place. It's up to you."
"...I think I'll go home," he quietly said, following close by.
I started making my way to the door, but Morissey had stopped just before to face the crowd.
"...I'm not sure if you'll believe me, but...I really am sorry for everything that's taken place," he said with a sigh, his ears still fallen back. "I started this group because I genuinely wanted to help people, but in doing so others have gotten hurt. While I had spoken with Reverend about some issues, the latest ones were entirely unknown to me until Daniel brought them up."
The ramiotrans looked to each other.
"...And...I will gladly work with you if it means that the problem can be rectified."
With that said he met me at the door, our taking our leave.
The walk back to his place was quiet. I could tell he had a lot on his mind. This wouldn't be easy, tearing apart what he'd worked so hard for, but that he was willing to do it meant his heart was in the right place. I was, at the very least, willing to give him the benefit of the doubt so he could prove his sincerity.
I dropped him off at his place, turning around to head back to mine. The constant feeling of eyes on me was creeping me out but I tried to keep my composure. Something about it felt familiar but it was hard to place it with how 'everywhere' it seemed, like it was multiple people.
Once I got in the house and headed upstairs I opened the door and, despite trying to do so quietly, it made Sam nearly jump out of his skin, falling out of bed and onto the floor. I closed the door and rushed forward to his aid, quickly stopping and kneeling down.
"Sam, you okay?" I asked. "I didn't mean to startle you--"
He quickly turned to face me and shoved himself back against the nightstand, his sick eyes wide in terror and mouth agape. If he pushed back into it any harder he'd become one with it, his tail stiff and bristled at his side like he was...
...Like he was seeing things.
...Ah, shit.
"Sam, shh, it's just me," I whispered. "It's Daniel, your partner. I'm home now. Shh."
Very, very slowly I inched closer, bringing my hands up to and against his cheeks. He gasped, his ears pinned back but seemingly unable to speak. His own hands came up in front of him in a weak attempt to push me away.
"It's just me," I continued to whisper, brushing his cheek fur with my fingers. "I'm here. You're safe."
"...Dan...iel?" he muttered, slowly coming to.
"There we go," I said softly, nuzzling his snout. "Let's get ya back to bed."
I moved slowly, wrapping an arm around his back and another under his rear to lift him completely off the floor. I felt him begin to protest but I just held him and swayed, humming a familiar tune. His protests would ease and finally he'd just lay his head against my shoulder with his snout in my neck.
One of the worst things about fear corruption was horrible, vivid nightmares that eventually cause somniphobia. Because corruption quite literally changes how one sees the world it usually doesn't just stop once one wakes, continuing well after the fact like one might experience with sleep paralysis. It is, quite literally, hard to tell for them when the nightmare ends and the real world begins.
...And if it's getting to this point, we would need to act fast.
---
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Tarov
MemberCooking with Daniel.
Wow Morissey in the meeting very funny. He must feel so awkward despite knowing that this is the best way forward.
Poor Sam, he's in a virtual hell. </3
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