Diana Dueyn - The Big Meow

“That sounds fine,” Rhiow said as she glanced around the back yard. She kept expecting to see a thin dark shape appear out of thin air absolutely silently…

After a few seconds she became aware that Urruah was looking at her oddly. “Are you all right? You’re looking unusually rattled.”

She opened her mouth to tell him to mind his own business, and once again was shocked at what she’d been about to say. “’Ruah,” she said. “…Hwaith…”

Urruah waved his tail gently. “So he got around to speaking his mind at last, did he,” he said. “I wondered.”

Rhiow sat down. “How long have you known this was in the wind?”

Urruah looked thoughtful. “Since he first turned up in Olvera Street?” he said. “The kits certainly saw how he was looking at you. I imagine even Aufwi may have noticed. Can you have been the only one who hasn’t seen this coming?”

Rhiow wanted to crouch down and simply hide her face: and this reaction too was so unlike her that it embarrassed her. “This is terrible,” she said under her breath. “There’s no way this can be happening. It’s all wrong –”

“In what way?” Urruah said.

She gave him an annoyed look, not sure she much cared for his amused tone. “Well, for one thing, we’re from different times, ‘Ruah! This presents certain problems, wouldn’t you say? And besides, I’m not – you know –”

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t exactly have all the necessary equipment!” she hissed. “I haven’t had it since just before I took the Oath!”

“I think he may have noticed that,” Urruah said.

“Will you stop being so calm about this?!” Rhiow nearly shouted at him, and then was mortified at the way it had come out, practically in a howl of pain.

“I don’t mind holding the calm for both of us,” Urruah said, “until you find yours again.”

Rhiow shut up and concentrated on doing just that. “I don’t know, Rhi,” Urruah said, “ but it occurs to me that he may be interested in you for other reasons besides the straightforwardly physical. What do you think?” And there was a bit of a twinkle in his eye. “I would have thought that a Person of a certain age might actually prefer that kind of approach. You know – after the the need for the ‘kittenish excesses’ of which you keep warning Siffha’h has tapered off a bit.”

There was something profoundly annoying about Urruah using her own sentiments against her in circumstances like this. “Sorry,” Rhiow said. “It’s just that it’s a little, I don’t know, embarrassing to think that the people around you think you need somebody…”

“You know, Rhi,” Urruah said, “I could swear you’ve been talking about the same kind of thing about your Iaehh. Wondering if it’s good for him to be alone, muttering about how he really ought to start looking for someone to share his life…”

Rhiow was strongly tempted to whack Urruah soundly enough to reposition his ears. But at the same time… she thought. “Damn it, ‘Ruah,” she said, “you have a point.”

He scrubbed behind one ear for a moment without looking at her. “Glad to see that you’ve noticed.”

“But why me?” she said under her breath. “And, ‘Ruah, there’s no way it could work. What it seems he has for me, I don’t have for him. And even if I did –”

“Rhi,” Urruah said. “Let it alone. It’s not as if we’re not going to be busy enough, this evening –“

“That’s been worrying me too,” Rhiow said. “How can we work together with this going on –”

“You were doing it earlier in the day,” Urruah said, “and it didn’t seem to affect his performance. If it’s your performance you’re concerned about –” He flirted his tail at her. “You’ve got a few hours to settle yourself, so if you need to meditate, I suggest you get on with it. Or go look over Sif’s power layout, or help brief the Silent Man…”

“Or just get a grip,” Rhiow said, flicking an ear at him in agreement. “I hear you. … I supposed this was just one thing too many to take at that particular moment. What I really want to be hearing is Ith’s voice telling me what those other tablets say. Because if we don’t find out before we go…”

“I know,” Urruah said. “But meantime let’s go finish doing the work we can do. Not even the Powers can do more than that.”

Rhiow did indeed spend a little time with the Silent Man, and most of that in convincing him that he shouldn’t come with them that night. The others had attempted to explain to him that what they were doing was too dangerous, but when Rhiow saw that taking this tack was getting them nowhere – indeed possibly having the opposite effect – she moved immediately to a different tack.

“Naturally we’d want you with us,” she said, “if there were a simple way to keep you from being seen. All we have to do is be invisible is sidle…but for an ehhif it takes more work. If you accompanied us, someone would have to hold that spell in place for you – and that someone wouldn’t be free for other wizardry should there be need. But what’s more to the point is that while we’re working up at Elwin’s place, the best place for you to be is following up on matters that we can’t effectively pursue. There are some loose ends…”

“That studio fire, for one,” Helen said, sounding thoughtful. “The police connection is still a little murky. They didn’t do the kind of follow-up you would usually expect. And the local fire chief doesn’t seem to have been inclined to dig into causes, either. Almost as if somebody or other told him to just accept the studio fire department’s story and walk away…”

The Silent Man looked from Helen to Rhiow. Not that we don’t have our share of crooked cops, he said. The take goes way up the chain: has for years, now. And the fire departments are always squabbling over jurisdiction — famous for it. So I take your point. However – He gave Rhiow a look. Don’t think I don’t know a misdirect when I hear one, Blackie.

Rhiow’s tail started lashing with her exasperation. After a moment, embarrassed, she got it to hold still again – only to find the Silent Man soundlessly laughing at her as he cocked an eye at Helen. And you’re just as bad. Now, don’t start batting those big dark lashes of yours at me, sister! He gave Helen a mock-severe look. But all right… I know better than to push in somewhere I’d be more of a liability than an asset. I’ll sit this one out. How’ll I know what’s going on with you, though?

“We’ll find a way to get you word,” Rhiow said. “In fact, we have a silent partner working up the timestream from us who’d be perfect for the job. Assuming we hear from him before we have to go…”

She threw a glance at the windows. That eternal sunshine was already beginning to slant into afternoon; soon enough it would be early evening, and whether or not Ith had come through, they would have to go. “In the meantime,” Rhiow said, “if you’d like to drive us over within walking distance when it’s time, that’d be useful.”

The Silent Man nodded. “You don’t even like the idea of doing personal transports over that way?” Urruah said.

“No,” Rhiow said. “The less attention of any kind we draw to ourselves, the better I’m going to like it. Anyway, for now let’s get everyone together for a prebrief so that our silent partner will know the order of business. Who knows, he may come across something of use for him to look into…”

Urruah went off to gather everyone together. Shortly the whole team was gathered in the living room except for Hwaith and Aufwi. “Hwaith said he had something personal to attend to: he’ll meet us at Dagenham’s,” Urruah said. “Aufwi had to go deal with something gate-based… he’ll be along shortly.”