Post by gollee on Nov 21, 2013 16:33:52 GMT
Written by me, and edited, modified and played with by Rusty 
Savar turned as the doorbell rang, having just walked into his living room to sit down and relax for a while. This must be the visitor my daughter Inis told me about, he thought. He walked out of the living room and over to the door, where he stopped and looked through the peephole. He saw a small, nervous looking woman standing outside, definitely the person Inis had told him about. Savar unlocked the door and pulled it open, smiling. “Hello,” He said, examining the woman. Everything about Savar seemed to accentuate how very different and out of place this woman was. Savar was only six feet tall, which was quite short for his planet, but he still towered over his visitor. His broad shoulders heavily contrasted with her slender frame. His hair was short and brown, but hers was long and dark, almost raven black, and hung loosely around her shoulders. Savar's tanned skin made her look even paler than it already was. She had her hands clasped in front of her, and Savar could see that they were quivering slightly. He also noticed that her right hand, and from what he could see, her right leg, were completely mechanical. She seemed almost petrified when he opened the door to greet her. Hesitating for a moment, she finally said, “H-Hi, I a-am Janet,” in a voice so quiet Savar had to strain his ears to hear her. He nodded and said, “Ah, yes, Inis told me you would be coming to stay for a while.” He took a step back, allowing entrance through the doorway. “Come in, please, sit down.” Janet nodded quickly, then nervously walked into the house.
After Janet had sat down, Savar went to get her something to drink, while his wife, Kiera, came downstairs. Like her husband, Kiera was also quite short for the planet, standing at only five feet ten inches, though she was still quite a bit taller than Janet. Her short, dark brown hair was showing signs of aging, with a few grey hairs here and there, and she had a deep tan like Savar. after the three of them had settled down in the living room, and Janet had taken a few sips of tea, they began to talk.
Kiera smiled, sitting opposite Janet. “Inis told us you would be coming, we have gotten a room ready for you. You can stay as long as you need to.” Savar came back into the room and nodded, handing a cup to Janet, who smiled weakly, “T-Thank you... b-but I d-don’t want to be a b-burden,” Kiera smiled and leaned forward. “You won’t be a burden," she said. "It will be a pleasure to have you stay. We don’t get many visitors other than family,” to which Savar nodded again, content to let Kiera talk. Janet held her cup in both hands up near her face. “Thank y-you,” She murmured, eyes glancing downwards. Kiera glanced to see what Janet was looking at, but couldn’t see anything. “Our pleasure, you just stay there, I am sure you are tired after your journey.” Janet nodded, and took another few sips from her cup.
Savar sighed and stood up as the door bell rang. “I’ll get it, you two ladies stay here,” he said as he walked out of the room. Kiera leant forwards, clasping her hands together and putting her forearms across her knees, “Inis told us what happened, stay here as long as you need.” Janet nodded and looked up, smiling slightly. At that moment, Savar came back into the room, followed by a tall, red-haired woman who appeared slightly younger than Janet. She walked at a brisk pace, her lively eyes constantly shifting their focus. Kiera smiled brightly. “Caylais! We weren’t expecting you," she said, "you should have called!” Caylais smiled and dropped down onto the sofa next to Janet, “I wanted to surprise you, and...” Caylais paused before saying, “...I heard you had a guest,” Janet shrank back into the sofa slightly, still holding her cup in front of her face. “Caylais!” Kiera scolded, “You are scaring her,” Caylais smiled and looked over at Janet, who was still pressed back in the chair, stunned by the unexpected intrusion. Caylais reached an arm out and put her hand on Janet’s shoulder, “I am sure she is less fragile than you think,” Caylais said softly. “I-I am okay,” Janet said, her voice still very quiet. Caylais smiled and took her hand off of Janet’s shoulder as she leant forwards again, getting back up off of the sofa.
After the four of them had finished their drinks, Caylais took Janet on a tour of the house, the loud and excitable red-head showing off her family home. “Down there is the kitchen and the dining room.” Caylais indicated down the first corridor away from the living room, then she started walking to the stairs. She smiled and said “Better show you to your room.” Janet nodded, but said nothing as she followed Caylais up the stairs. At the top, Caylais indicated a number of doors with an exaggerated sweep of her arm. “Four bedrooms, and a bathroom. Now... You are probably in my old room. I have my own house now,” Caylais smiled and walked to the third door and opened it, inside was a large, but quite plain double bed, a chest of drawers, a wardrobe and a desk." On the desk was some stationery, as well as a few pieces of electronics, and on the windowsill above the bed was a vase of fresh flowers, which Janet decided was placed there by Kiera. Caylais smiled and continued. “Yup, my room, a bit plain, but certainly the best one in the house.” Janet nodded, and smiled weakly before walking into the room and taking a look around.
Inside, she saw that there was also a bedside table on the far side from the door. On it was a small lamp, and under it was a stack of old books and magazines. Caylais gave a small sniff of disapproval and said, “I see they took my posters down.” She shrugged. “Probably for the best, they weren’t exactly current anyway.” Janet sat down on the bed and skimmed through the stack of books and magazines. The books varied from fiction, to autobiographies, to scientific texts, and many of the magazines were science journals. Janet glanced at Caylais and asked, “These are yours?” Caylais stuck her tongue out and nodded. “Not just a pretty face," she replied playfully. "I work as a neurosurgeon at CGR, that is, Centre for Genetics Research." Janet nodded, smiled, and carefully stacked the books and journal back in their original places, then stood up. “I-If this is your r-room... one will be your p-parents room... w-who has the o-other two rooms?” Caylais smiled, and led Janet out of the room. “Well, one is Inis’s. Since she works off-planet, she doesn’t own a house here, so when she visits, she stays here. The other is Gollee’s, he works off-planet too.” Janet nodded and followed Caylais out of the room.
As Caylais guided Janet around the house, she showed off various aspects of the sizable building; Janet was particularly interested in both Savar and Kiera’s studies, which held a wealth of files and textbooks on the subject of genetics. “Y-Your family must b-be rich to have such a large house...” Janet said, as Caylais led her back downstairs. Caylais shrugged, “Not especially so, this is a colony world still, so land is cheap, and we have a lot of people contributing.” Caylais gave a short laugh, “You should see my Uncle’s house, he is the rich one, his house is a couple of miles away. Mine is just down the way from here.” The two of them returned to the living room where Savar sat, looking at his PDA with concern etched on his face. Caylais walked over to him and asked, “Something wrong?” He sighed as he looked up. “Well, Inis is coming home sooner than expected, she had a bad time of it soon after you left,” he said, nodding to Janet. “She is coming for a few days of rest, and by the sound of it, she has had quite the ordeal.” Both Caylais and Janet looked concerned. “D-Did she say what it was?” Janet asked. Savar shook his head, saying, “No... but she will probably tell us when she gets here tomorrow...” He glanced between the two of them, “How about we get some food, Kiera just finished cooking a lovely roast.” The two of them smiled and stood up, making their way to the dining room.
After dinner, Janet excused herself to get some rest, citing that the journey had been rather arduous, though Caylais managed to extricate a promise to go to the beach before she left the table. Once upstairs, Janet spent an hour or so skimming through the books that the family had provided for her. Then, after taking some medication to reduce her persistent headache, as well a prescription sleep aid, she climbed into bed and feel asleep.
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In the morning, Janet awoke to a gentle tap on her door. “I will have breakfast ready in a few minutes, you can have some if you get up soon,” Kiera called through the door. Janet smiled groggily and said, “O-Okay, I am g-getting up,” She slowed pushed herself out of the bed, and after putting on some fresh clothes, she went downstairs. In the dining room, Kiera and Savar were already dishing up the food; scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, hash browns, a full old-English breakfast. The three of them sat quietly at the table eating for a while, before conversation began to pick up. “Did you sleep well?” Kiera asked Janet, smiling. Janet nodded. “Y-Yes, thank you..." she said, then looked at Savar and asked, "What time w-will Inis get h-here today?” He rubbed the side of his chin and frowned. “Hmm... well, I think she will be here by lunch; she called Varan to pick her up from the space port... considering the speed he drives at, she will probably be here about an hour before lunch.” Kiera smiled at this, saying, “It will be good to see her again, she hasn’t visited since last month.” Janet nodded and ate her food more quickly. In between bites, she asked, “S-She told me that y-you two are scientists?” They both nodded. Kiera leaned forward. “And she told us that you are a geneticist, I think. Is that right?” She glanced at Savar, who nodded. “Y-Yes, I'm a g-geneticist... i-it's good work...” Janet stammered, looking down at the food in front of her. Savar frowned. “Are you alright?” Janet nodded slightly. “Y-yeah, it is just...” She made a dissmissive gesture with her hand. “I mean... it d-doesn’t p-prove I'm good at anything... it really just m-means that I can p-push buttons, and h-have an expensive p-piece of paper to c-certify it.” Kiera put a hand on Janet’s shoulder, looking concerned. “It does mean something... It means you devoted yourself to helping people. That is the most noble, and meaningful, thing you can do. Look at Caylais, she can do a thousand things, but knowing how to fix a genetic deformity, that isn’t one of them. She can help the living... but only you can bring them back if she fails. You may not help people as often as she does, but you are just as important.” Janet took a deep breath and nodded, Kiera smiled and leaned back into her chair.
After breakfast, Savar brought down some of the research data from his study, so Janet could look through it. She spent several hours leafing through the documents until the doorbell rang. Kiera answered the door, and two people came into the living room. First came a tanned, grey-haired man, wearing scruffy, crumpled, yet expensive-looking clothes. He was tall compared to Janet, probably standing around six feet high, but he was still considerably shorter than the woman who came in after him. She was very tall, at least six foot three inches, with very pale skin, even paler than Janet, and it stood out against the deep tans of the rest of the people in the room. Her hair also made her stand out, it being a deep, cyan blue, and reaching all the way down her back. Janet smiled faintly, “H-Hello Inis,” she said quietly. Inis turned and smiled at her. Janet was shocked to see that Inis’s lip was split, and that she had the fading traces of blackened eyes. “W-What happened t-to you?” Janet asked, staring at the injuries. Inis grimaced and reached up to touch her lip. “I had a disagreement with someone,” she said softly. “All sorted now... how are you coping?” Janet shrugged, looking up at Inis from where she sat, “B-Better... your family i-is lovely.” Kiera and Savar smiled at this, but the second man only grunted. He turned to Inis and said, “Good, good, but Inis, you shouldn’t downplay your own needs all the time. I swear, if I come across the guy who hit you...” The man made a quick, violent gesture, causing Janet to flinch. Inis gave him a stern stare, and said, “Uncle, now isn’t the time, and I have already told you, I am fine, it was dealt with.” There was silence for a moment, before Savar said, “Well, Janet, this is my brother, Varan, Inis’s Uncle.” Janet nodded and stood up as the man extended a hand. She took his hand, and was surprised when he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. He chuckled. “Pardon me for my old ways, never could get around to adapting to modern courtesies,” he explained. Janet blushed, and let her arm drop when he let go of her hand. Varan nodded to Savar and Kiera. “Well, guess I'll be going.” He turned back to Inis and Janet, and smiled at the two of them. “Inis, Janet, you two stay safe, alright? I don’t want to have to come and scoop you up out of the sea or something.” Inis made a dismissive noise, and said, “Like you would be able to swim faster than me.” Varan smiled, nodded to them both, and left. They heard the door shut behind him.
Janet smiled as Inis sat down next to her and leaned back in the chair. “H-How have you been?” Janet inquired of her. Inis looked over and smiled, “Pretty good, barring the disagreement. I took a week off work after that, though Gordon wouldn’t let me out of the apartment for the first two days, too worried that something else might happen. It took a day to travel here... and here I am, for three days.” Janet smiled slightly, then asked softly, “A-Are you truly o-okay? It looks p-pretty bad...” Inis nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable. “It is a lot better than it was.” Changing the subject, she asked, “How about you, feeling okay?” Janet nodded. “I-I have some m-medicine... to help with t-the headaches... and s-something to help me sleep...” Inis smiled faintly. “Don’t worry; the headaches should fade in a couple of days...”
Kiera looked up with an expression of mild displeasure as Savar bustled back into the room with a first aid kit. Inis groaned and covered her face. “Dad, you aren’t going to be able to do anything, I have already cleaned up these cuts, Gordon has and a doctor has, they will heal when they heal,” she sighed in exasperation. Savar looked at Inis stubbornly. “It isn’t going to hurt to take a look is it? At the very least you could take some painkillers, I don’t know how you eat with your lip cut open like that, though it isn’t like you eat enough as it is.” Inis shot him with a fierce glare, but he didn’t back down. Instead, he came closer, crouched down in front of where Inis was sat. He seized her chin and pulled her head from side to side so he could inspect the healing wounds. Janet looked on in mild amusement as Savar forced Inis to swallow some painkillers despite her protests, before applying some medicinal cream to her lip and around her eyes. When he had finished, Inis pulled her head out of his grip and said, “I knew I should have waited for them to heal before I came home...” Kiera made an amused sound and sat back in her chair as Savar replaced the first aid kit.
“Right... now that that is dealt with...” said Inis, giving her father an annoyed glance, which he returned a smile, “...we can see about getting you up and about the city.” Inis looked over at Janet, who appeared quite wary about the idea. Kiera smiled and said, “Caylais has already made Janet promise to go to the beach with her today, she should be arriving soon.” Inis nodded, then looked at Janet again. “Did you bring a swimsuit with you?” Janet shook her head. “I d-didn’t think to...” Inis shrugged, brushing her hair back from her face, where it was sticking to the ointment. “There are plenty of shops at the waterfront, we can get you one there, they are sure to have one that suits you.” Janet blushed slightly, looked down and nodded. At that point, the doorbell rang again, and Kiera went and let Caylais in.
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The three of them soon left the house, wandering down towards the coast. It was an easy two-mile walk, as the land around the misted sea was quite sparsely developed; the development having only really started after the near constant storms had finally been silenced. It took the three of them nearly an hour to reach the beach, and another thirty minutes after that were spent in shop after shop as Caylais attempted to find the swimsuit that suited Janet best. The three of them then walked down onto the beach. It was relatively empty for it’s size, as they had decided to go during normal working hours. As they approached the water, Caylais ran ahead, wearing a red and orange swimsuit, complimenting her hair, so she said, while Janet hung back slightly with Inis, slowly approaching the sea. Inis was wearing her dark blue swimsuit, while Janet had gone with Caylais’s suggestion of a black and grey swimsuit, matching her hair. When she reached the water, Caylais immediately dove in, swimming rapidly until she was fifty metres out. Janet watched with mild confusion. “I-Isn’t it c-cold?” Inis smiled and shook her head. “We are in the planet's tropical zone, the water is nice and warm.” Inis suddenly took off, running towards the water. Janet hesitated for a moment, then ran after her, following her into the sea.
Though Janet wasn’t anywhere near as good at swimming as Inis or Caylais, the three of them spent over half an hour in the water, before Janet admitted to feeling quite faint. By this point, the beach was slowly beginning to fill up with people, and several boats had cast off from the nearby slipways. The three of them decided to go up to the waterfront and get some drinks so Janet could rest for a while. As they walked along the waterfront, a group of four men was walking towards them, the three women altered their path, but the other group angled back in on them. “Hello there, ladies,” the leader of the group said with a smirk, as he and the three others halted in front of Janet, Inis and Caylais. Caylais stared at him, unimpressed. “Yes? What do you want?” she said, rudely. The man looked vaguely irritated; he and his three friends shifted position slightly, blocking any path to the sides. People who were passing nearby only glanced over, and went past hurriedly. “It is dangerous to walk around alone, I am surprised you three don’t know that,” the man said threateningly, taking a step forward. Janet had turned very pale, glancing around herself at the surrounding men. They weren’t as tall as the natives; she guessed that they were likely off-duty employees of some corporation.
The man stepped even closer to Caylais. Leering, she drew her arm back to slap him, but one of the others seized it. “Hey!” she cried as he pulled her over, wrenching her to the ground. the men laughed and advanced forwards, but stopped when they heard a voice behind them. “What, exactly, do you think you are doing?” The leader turned around to glare at the newcomer, a massive man, towering over all of them, with corded muscles running across his arms and neck. “Piss off!” the leader snapped at him. The newcomer ignored him, and glanced between the four men, until he saw Caylais kneeling on the ground, with one of the men twisting her arm. Instantly, the large man lunged forwards, seizing the unfortunate assailant by the shoulder, spinning him around, and slamming a fist into the side of his face, which gave way with a cartilaginous crunch. The man dropped instantly, letting go of Caylais as he did. The other three men roared in rage and leapt at the newcomer, driving him back as he fought off their attacks. Inis rushed into the fight, lashing out at the backs of the men, while Janet helped Caylais to her feet and led her away from the melee.
Inis drove her foot into the back of the knee of one of the attackers, knocking him down and making him vulnerable as she drove kick after kick into his stomach. The large man grabbed one of the last two men by the front of his shirt, ignoring the attacks of the last man, and hurled him down onto the beach, a good ten feet. The man landed flat on his back, gasping like a fish. The last man took a step back, glancing around, to see that out of his allies, he was the last one standing; one was unconscious in a small pool of blood, one was being beaten to a pulp, and the third was too winded to fight. The man turned and ran. Inis finally relented from kicking the man she had knocked over, and he too scrambled to his feet and ran off as fast as he could.
Inis looked over at the large man and smiled. “Gollee! Good timing, how did you know we were here?” Gollee shrugged. “I came back for a day, since I heard we were all here, Savar told me that you had gone to the beach, so I came to meet you, I had no idea you would have gotten into a fight already,” Very gracefully, he walked over to Caylais and Janet. “Caylais, are you alright?” he asked seriously, looking her over. She nodded, noticeably subdued. Gollee sighed, then looked at Janet. “I don’t believe we have met, thank you for helping Caylais.” Janet nodded quickly. She was very pale, her eyes wide with shock. “N-No p-problem,” she stammered, staring at the ground. Her hands were shaking slightly. Inis walked over to her, putting an arm over Janet’s shoulders and hugging her slightly, “It is over now...” She looked at Gollee. “Gollee, this is Janet, she is staying with us for a while, she is one of my friends.” Gollee nodded. “An honour to meet you, Janet, I apologise for this..." he said softly, gesturing at the detritus of the battle. “This sort of thing doesn’t happen often, I promise you.” Janet nodded again, then turned to Inis and Caylais. ”I-I think I want to go b-back now...” Inis nodded, as Caylais poked at the grazes on her arms, wincing. “That might be for the best.” The four of them started walking back towards the town. Janet, who was now quite exhausted, was being partially supported by Inis.
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When they arrived back at the house, Savar and Kiera met them at the door. Savar took Janet from Inis and led her inside to sit down, while Kiera fussed over Caylais’ injuries, covering them over with bandages and ointment. After she had finished, she glanced between Inis and Caylais. “What happened?” she asked, checking Inis for injuries. Caylais shrugged. “Some thugs... Gollee and Inis dealt with them.” Inis nodded and said “I didn’t do much, Gollee did most of it.” Kiera glanced at Gollee with slight suspicion, then begrudgingly said, “Thank you.” Gollee nodded, not saying anything. After Kiera was satisfied that Inis wasn’t injured, the four of them went into the living room, where Savar was giving Janet a cup of tea. Janet looked up as they entered. “A-Are y-you all alright?” she asked, sipping at the tea, her hands still shaking. Kiera nodded. “They are fine.” The six of them filled the chairs in the living room. Caylais was still checking her wounds. “If you keep looking at them, they won’t heal,” Kiera scolded. Caylais sighed and settled down into her chair. Savar looked at Gollee. “It was a good thing I sent you down there...” Gollee shrugged. “These three could have handled it, I just helped.” Janet shook her head sharply. “I-I wouldn’t have b-been able t-to help... If you hadn’t s-shown up...” Caylais nodded in agreement. “I don’t think we would have stood a chance. Sure, Inis knows how to fight, but I don’t and Janet doesn’t, and I don’t think even Inis is good enough to hold off four guys.” Gollee looked mildly uncomfortable at the praise. Savar noticed, and changed the subject. “Any idea who they were?” he asked Inis, who shrugged. “Not natives, I would guess they were corporation employees, looking for someone they could bully.” Caylais raised an eyebrow at the word bully, but stayed silent.
“Well, after all that unpleasantness, you could all do with a good meal,” Kiera said, standing up. The four of them nodded. Kiera smiled. “Well, the stew I was cooking should be just about finished, if you all come through to the dining room, Savar and I can dish it up.” The group stood, and made their way to the dining room to sit around the table. Inis smiled. “It is lucky Sarin or Delin’ aren’t here, we wouldn’t have enough chairs if they were.” Gollee nodded, and said, “Mhmm, well, I am only here for the day, I have to be back at Central for tomorrow.” Caylais made a disappointed sound. “Shame... We only see you once a month; they won’t give you any more time off?” Gollee shook his head regretfully. “Nope... I only get two days off a month, and I have to spend one in transit to get to and from here.” The conversation stopped as food was brought through by Kiera and Savar, who were carrying trays laden with bowls, bread and condiments. The stew was a thick, meaty broth, filled with chunks of cooked meat and large cuts of vegetables. Savar had also brought thick slices of homemade bread, which went perfectly with the soup. The conversation meandered around, going from work, to politics and many other things. Kiera placed her spoon down, and turned to Gollee. “Now, Gollee, do you have anyone yet?” Gollee looked up, confused. “Pardon?” Kiera sighed. “Do you have anyone special, I mean. Caylais has Sarin, Inis has that... foreigner. Do you have anyone yet?” Gollee turned slightly red, and said, “No,” before looking back down at his food. Kiera sighed again, and then Inis said, “Mother, can you just drop this, for once? You are the only one that cares.” Kiera stared at her daughter for a moment, before continuing to eat.
There was an awkward silence after that, which no one seemed inclined to break. After the stew was finished with, Savar dug some ice cream out of the freezer. The six of them moved back into the living room, eating their ice cream. After finishing, Caylais stood, said her goodbyes, and went to leave. But before she turned to walk out the door, Kiera said sharply, “Gollee, escort her home.” Caylais laughed. “Mum, I can look after myself.” Kiera stared at her, then gestured at the bandages on her arms. “Obviously you can’t.” Caylais looked shocked for a moment, then opened her mouth to retort, but Gollee put up his hand to stop her. “Caylais, it is fine, I could do with a walk.” Caylais glared at her mother for a moment, then nodded, and walked out, Gollee in tow.
Another period of silence ensued, but this time it was Janet that broke it. “Y-You have a n-nice family, Inis...” she said quietly, placing her empty bowl on the coffee table. Kiera and Savar smiled broadly at this. Inis replied, “Thank you, but... I have never really heard you talk about your family. What are they like?” Janet flinched as though struck. “M-My family isn’t as nice as y-yours...” she said, looking down. Inis quickly stood up and moved next to Janet, hugging her tightly with one arm; Janet leaned against her, head bowed. They sat there for a moment, before Janet looked up, “I-I don’t t-talk to them much... except for L-Laura... my sister... she's the o-only one I've k-kept in contact with... she is n-nice, y-you might w-want to meet her...” Inis nodded, and Janet picked up a small cup of tea that Savar had just brought in, taking a shaky sip. “I-I think I need to go get s-some rest... I-I am really tired from the b-beach...” Inis nodded, and let go of her. Janet stood up, said goodnight to the other three, and went into the corridor and up the stairs.
Savar, Kiera and Inis remained seated in the living room. Savar began to question Inis about Janet. “You haven’t really told us much about her, just that she needed a place to stay and recover. What happened to her?” he asked, clearing up the bowls. Inis hesitated for a moment, then said grimly, “She tried to commit suicide.” Savar stopped what he was doing instantly, “What?!” he exclaimed. “Why would she do that? She seems like such a nice girl!” Inis nodded. “She is, but she is... fragile... her boyfriend of a couple of months left her for someone else. When she heard, she drank a lethal dose of tranquilizers.” Kiera looked shocked. “I knew there was something about her that was off... how long ago was this?” Inis shrugged. “A week, no more.” Savar sunk back into his chair, bowls still on the table. “That would explain the headaches...” He looked at Inis sharply. “What part do you have in this?” Inis sighed. “I saved her, with help from a friend. I found her just after she drank the tranquilizers. I managed to flush them from her system.” Kiera nodded, smiling slightly with pride. “She has come a long way in a week, she is quite resilient.” Inis nodded at this. “She is, though she doesn’t believe it herself. The side effects of the tranquilizers should fade in a few days, though the mental trauma will take longer.” The three of them exchanged looks, and began to clean up the living room and the dining room.
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In the morning, both Janet and Inis were woken by Kiera rapping on their doors, calling them to breakfast. The two of them met up in the corridor, before going downstairs together. They found Gollee already downstairs, eating quickly, and the two of them sat down next to him. “I have to go soon, my flight back up is in three hours or so,” he explained. Inis sighed, and Janet nodded. Savar brought them each a plate loaded with pancakes, he pointed to a tray in the middle of the table, “Sauces are there, along with sugar, etcetera, provided Gollee hasn’t had it all.” Gollee smiled at him with a mouth full of pancake. The other two sat eating, as Gollee had already finished and was waiting for them. After they had all finished, the three of them went back upstairs to play on Gollee’s old gaming system, though Gollee beat them resoundingly every time. Once he stopped playing himself, Janet managed to beat Inis several times at some sort of strategy game. In what seemed like a very short amount of time, it was time for Gollee to leave, so the three of them walked to the door, where Savar and Kiera met them.
“You are leaving then?” Kiera asked, standing beside the door. Gollee nodded, collecting a small suitcase from beside the stairs. “I will be back for another stay next month,” Savar smiled, “Always nice to have you around. Too bad you can never stay longer.” Gollee nodded again, and opened the door. “Tell everyone I said hello.” He turned to Inis and Janet and nodded to them, “Inis, Janet.” Inis waved while Janet smiled slightly. Gollee nodded to his parents and left.
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After the two of them had freshened up, Inis and Janet left the house again. Inis was determined to show Janet as much of the city as possible while she was here, and they started by going to a shopping centre via bus. They arrived a couple of hours before lunch, and set off to see what they could find. Janet had previously expressed an interest in the technology that was available on world, so Inis led her through the shopping centre, until they found a section devoted to the three research centres that practically ran Cevalon. The shops contained a virtual cornucopia of technology, from advanced genetically modified animals, to shelf after shelf of electronics.
Inside one of the stores, Inis stroked the beak of a Stormhawk. It tilted its head towards her hand so she could reach it better. “I always wanted one of these,” she said wistfully. “Never could afford it though, and I wouldn’t have anywhere to put it.” Janet was leafing through the notes on the Stormhawk’s cage, her eyes alive with interest at the modifications, “T-These are s-simply some amazing m-modifications, not immensely d-difficult, b-but in a direction I don’t think anyone could h-have expected.” After a while, she moved over to look at the electronics section, which had products ranging from advanced processor units, to entire self-contained personal AI units. Janet muttered to herself, “I-I don’t know how t-they make money from these p-prices...” She looked over at Inis, who was still standing near the Stormhawk's cage. “W-What else do these c-centres do?” Inis turned around and smiled. “Companies pay them to upgrade technology, that is where their money comes from. This stuff is just to advertise what they can do, so the prices are low.” Janet nodded, collecting a few items from the shelves before taking them over to the cashier.
After Janet had bought the items, the two of them headed back into the main shopping centre. Janet was looking for something for Laura, but the two of them stopped at a café first. The two of them ordered a drink each, as well as a small, cold lunch. They took their food over to a small table and sat down, unwrapping the sandwiches. Inis took a bite out of her sandwich. “Mmm, beef and cheese. What about you?” Janet took a cautious bite out of her sandwich, hesitated, then smiled, “E-Egg salad.” The two of them quietly ate their sandwiches, along with the rest of their food, before setting off again. Eventually, Janet found a camera with a built-in directional laser microphone and universal recorder for Laura. Inis, however, didn’t buy anything, but she did go into a few different shops, talked to the managers, then left, smiling. After a another couple of hours, they boarded a bus to take them home.
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They arrived back at the house about an hour before dinner. Janet swiftly stowed her purchases upstairs while Inis helped Kiera with the food. The four of them sat down at the table to eat a large meal of spaghetti bolognaise. Savar turned to Janet as they ate. “How is your headache?” Janet smiled and said quietly, “B-Better, thanks, I w-won’t need to take any m-medicine tonight...” The other three nodded and smiled, then Kiera said, “Janet, we got some letters for you while you were out.” She slid three envelopes across the table to Janet. “I suspect one of Inis’s friends told them.” Janet nodded, picking up the letters. “P-Probably Kimberly...” She glanced at the names printed on the envelopes and froze, then said, very quietly, “L-Laura… A-Aaron… D-Dad…” Savar glanced across at Inis in confusion. She shrugged, and then said to Janet, “You don’t have to open them if you don’t want to.” Janet looked up, and smiled slightly. “I-I want to…” Inis nodded, and Kiera handed Janet a letter opener. She opened Laura’s letter first, and read through it, then smiled sadly, put it to the side, and picked up Aaron’s letter. Janet hesitated for a moment, then cut it open, and read it. She glanced over it and turned slightly pale, but she put it on top of Laura’s letter, and then reached for her father’s. The hesitation was longer this time, but eventually she cut the letter open and read it. She let out a short gasp and her eyes filled with tears. She stood up, dropping the letter. “I-I need to g-go get some r-rest, g-good night,” she stammered, and walked quickly out of the room. Inis jumped up out of her chair and followed her, while Kiera snatched Janet’s father’s letter up off of the ground. Her eyes scanned it.
To Janet:
I heard about what happened from one of your "friends". I'm surprised you know what those are, considering what an ungrateful little brat you are. Suicide by poison, eh? I guess you didn't have it in you to do something like that the honorable way, with a gun or a rope. Swallowing a bullet is a lot more respectable than swallowing some damn poison. What made you think of suicide in the first place, huh? Always running away from your problems, just like when you were a damn kid. Do you have any idea the amount of time and effort and money that went into raising you, but of course you don't appreciate the sacrafices I had to make. All you do is think about yourself, and to hell with what everyone else needs. Even now, I have to sit down and write a goddamned old fashioned letter to your unappreciative ass because you're on a special paid vacation on a tropical paradise. I never got a paid vacation for raising you, I never even got a fucking thank you. Maybe I should have just given you a gun when you were a kid, you would have saved everyone a lot of trouble. You're a disgrace to my name and your mother's. If she had known you were going to turn out like this, maybe she would have gone through with the abortion.
Your father, Gerald.
Kiera’s eyes widened and she passed the letter to Savar, who read it and swore. “Gods, if I get my hands on this man he will regret that he was ever born!” Kiera picked up the other two letters and read them, her hands shaking in rage, she read Laura’s first.
Dear Janet
A friend of yours, a Kimberly Riden contacted me today. She told me what happened. Janet, I'm worried sick about you! She tells me you're staying with the family of another friend, I hope they're taking good care of you. Listen, Janet, I don't want come off as scolding, but doing something like what you did is never the answer. I know the kind of pain you felt, I've felt it many times before. But you can always talk to me about anything, no matter what. I get scared for you when days go by and I don't get a call, you're the only thing I think about. You're my sister, and my best friend, and I love you. I'll always love you, no matter what. Please, call me as soon as you can, I've written how you can reach me on the back of the letter.
Love, Laura
P.S.: If you get anything from dad, please, don't read it. You know it won't be anything good.
Kiera’s outrage faded somewhat at this letter, and she carefully folded it and put it back in its envelope. Then she opened Aaron’s note.
Dear Janet,
I am so sorry for what I did to you, and I wish you the best, I don’t know if you want to see me again, but if you don’t, I promise you will never see me again, I never wanted this to happen, and I will do anything I can to help you recover from this.
Yours, in hope, Aaron
Kiera slipped the note into the same envelope as Laura’s, then she took them upstairs, while Savar stored Janet’s father’s letter in a folder, before locking it in his desk.
Upstairs, Janet was lying on her bed, with Inis sitting in a chair next to her, a hand on her shoulder. Janet was lying with her face in her pillows, her whole body trembling as Inis tried to calm her down. Kiera carefully laid the two letters on Janet’s bedside table, and then sat on the side of the bed with her hand on Janet’s back. Janet flinched at the contact, but remained silent as Savar came upstairs, his face tight with anger. Inis looked at him, confused, and he motioned for her to come out of the room. Inis followed him out, and asked quietly, “What was in that letter to do this?” Savar stood silent for a moment, his hands clenching and unclenching. “Her father is not a good man. That letter…” He shook his head. “…I have locked that letter in my desk, I am considering launching a lawsuit for what was in there.” Inis’s eyes widened, and then she said, “It was that bad?” Savar dropped his desk key into her hand. “Go take a look for yourself.” He walked into the room and sat down opposite Kiera, running his hand through Janet’s hair as she lay on the bed, trembling.
When Inis came back upstairs, her skin was flushed with anger. she stalked back into the room, and sat in the chair at Janet’s bedside. Janet had finally sat up, with the encouragement of Savar and Kiera, though she still shook, and her face was streaked with tears. She looked up at Inis as she walked in. “I-Inis… d-did you j-just…” Inis nodded, placing a hand on Janet’s shoulder. “I read it, Janet. We can use this… we can use it to make sure he can never contact you again, you will be safe from him.” Janet hesitated, staring down at her hands in her lap for a moment, before looking up again, eyes brimming with tears. “B-But he is one of t-the only family m-members I have…” Kiera placed her hands on the side of Janet’s face, looking straight at her. “Janet… He doesn’t deserve you, he isn’t worth the air he breathes. You are a wonderful girl, and nobody should talk to you, or treat you, like I think he has…" She paused for a moment before continuing. "He... used to beat you… didn’t he? I can tell by how you flinched when I touched your back…” Janet took several, quick, deep breaths, then closed her eyes and nodded, tears running down her face. “Why did you never tell anyone?” Savar asked quietly, placing his hand on her lower leg. Janet shook her head sharply, “I-I got out… L-Laura helped me... h-he stopped bothering me o-once I had gone...” Savar nodded and stood up, then said, “I am going to take that letter to the district station, from there they will be able to load a cease and desist order to Biesel, that should stop him contacting you.” Janet said nothing as Savar walked out.
Kiera and Inis sat by Janet’s bedside for over an hour, before her trembling slowly stopped, and her breathing slowed to a steady rhythm as she drifted to sleep. They sat for a few minutes more until they were sure Janet was asleep, before quietly leaving to go downstairs. The two of them cleared the dinner dishes from the table, where they had been left over an hour before, then sat silently in the living room for a few minutes before Savar returned. When he did, he sat down heavily in his chair, and looked between the two women. “The Superintendent is going to file an order to Biesel for that guy to cease communicating with Janet. I don’t know if it will stick, but it is something.” He hesitated for a moment before asking, “How is she?” Inis and Kiera looked at each other, then Inis shrugged. “Better," she said, "but that wasn’t what she needed right now. At least she already knew that he was bad news, it will make it easier for her to get over this as well.” Kiera nodded in agreement.
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It took another day for Janet to regain the ground that that letter had cost her. In the morning, Kiera took Janet’s breakfast to her, in her room. Janet was withdrawn and pale, and she ate little, but as the day progressed, and with encouragement from Inis, Savar, Kiera and Caylais, she came downstairs after lunch, sitting quietly in the living room. Caylais even had one of her colleagues come over to check Janet’s mental state. The psychiatrist confirmed that Janet was stable state of mind, and should recover quickly.
When it came to dinner, Janet sat at the table with the others, though, again, she ate little; she did, however, get more involved in the conversation, and even smiled at a few jokes that Savar and Caylais made. After dinner, Janet sat in the living room with the family for an hour or so, then retreated back upstairs, claiming tiredness.
The next morning, Janet came downstairs on her own for breakfast, much to the relief of Kiera and Inis, and she participated much more often in the conversations going back and forth.
Inis smiled and pushed her empty plate towards the centre of the table. “Janet, I was thinking we could go to a pub for dinner tonight, have a meal, a few drinks…” Janet nodded. “I-I would like t-that.” Inis smiled again, then said, “I will see if Caylais wants to come as well.” Inis stood up, picked up her plate, as well as Janet’s empty plate, and took them through into the kitchen. Savar looked up from his second helping to ask, “Did Nanotrasen give you a deadline on when you need to be back?” Janet nodded, then looked down. “I-I need to be b-back tomorrow… I w-will need to l-leave tonight…” Kiera nodded sadly. “Inis needs to head back tonight as well, at least you can go together.” Janet smiled slightly, and sipped at her drink.
Inis and Janet spent the hours until lunch choosing what to wear. Inis decided on her warden's uniform. “This should stop us getting any unwanted attention,” she said as she put the jumpsuit over her arm and walked out of Janet’s room to her own, so she could get changed. Janet decided on a plain blue and purple plaid dress, and then the two of them walked downstairs for lunch. Caylais arrived a few hours after lunch, wearing a red and orange floor-length dress, much to the disapproval of Kiera. The three of them sat down and discussed which pubs, or bars, to visit, before they settled on one that was quite close by, and that both Inis and Caylais knew quite well. After this, they spent a few hours playing on Gollee’s game console, before heading out.
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The three of them walked into the Green Dragon, and went up to the counter to order. Janet looked at the menu for a while, while Inis and Caylais ordered their meals. She finally decided on a Garin steak, which both Inis and Caylais highly recommended. The three of them selected some drinks, and headed to a table to wait for their food. Much to their chagrin, both Inis and Caylais found that the rings on their fingers did not prevent the drunkards amongst the crowd looking at them hopefully as they passed.
The three of them settled down at a table near the corner of the room, a reasonable distance from the bar counter, and sipped their drinks, watching the crowd ebb and swell as time passed. At several points during the night, a few men, rather drunk, wandered over to their table to test their luck. One of them even attempted to pull Caylais from her seat to dance, but a swift gesture from Inis and a scowl from Janet put an end to that idea. Their food arrived after about half an hour, and the three of them ate quite quickly, despite the number of people coming over to talk to them. After they had finished, the three of them stood up, and began to move as a group through the crowd. Janet was dwarfed by the men in the crowd, but with Inis and Caylais standing on either side of her, she felt quite safe. They spent a few hours chatting and drinking, before they had to leave. Caylais to go home before she got too drunk, and Inis and Janet had to head back to the house to collect their things. They left the warm, crowded bar for the dark, cool streets as they made their way back to their homes. Inis and Janet left Caylais at her door, before heading back to Inis’s parent’s house. Once they had arrived back, Janet got changed while Inis packed their things, then the two of them said goodbye to Kiera, who made a fuss over them. She made sure that they each took a significant amount of food with them, citing that neither of them was eating enough. Savar loaded their bags into his car, and the three of them drove off towards the spaceport.
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Once they had arrived, Inis and Janet were quickly processed by the customs officials, though one of them got really worked up about Inis’ amulet. Fortunately, the matter was resolved in a timely manner. They said goodbye to Savar as well, who managed to extract a promise of another from both Inis and Janet, and the two of them boarded a space elevator capsule. The spaceport and surrounding area swiftly accelerated out of sight as they shot upward at immense speeds. Inis stepped forwards into the orbital station as the doors opened, pulling Janet along with her, so they wouldn’t be caught and crushed by the mass of people trying to get onto their capsule. Inis glanced at the impatient horde with disapproval. “You would think they would at least learn to wait their turn.” Janet nodded quickly, staying quite close to Inis, as people rushed past. The two of them headed up through the station, gravity lessening with every step. Eventually, they reached their flight, and were directed into their seats. They buckled in as the transport ship's engines began to warm up. Inis pulled her legs up onto the chair, and Janet closed her eyes and put rested her head on the back of her seat. In a matter of a few hours, they would arrive at Central Command.
Savar turned as the doorbell rang, having just walked into his living room to sit down and relax for a while. This must be the visitor my daughter Inis told me about, he thought. He walked out of the living room and over to the door, where he stopped and looked through the peephole. He saw a small, nervous looking woman standing outside, definitely the person Inis had told him about. Savar unlocked the door and pulled it open, smiling. “Hello,” He said, examining the woman. Everything about Savar seemed to accentuate how very different and out of place this woman was. Savar was only six feet tall, which was quite short for his planet, but he still towered over his visitor. His broad shoulders heavily contrasted with her slender frame. His hair was short and brown, but hers was long and dark, almost raven black, and hung loosely around her shoulders. Savar's tanned skin made her look even paler than it already was. She had her hands clasped in front of her, and Savar could see that they were quivering slightly. He also noticed that her right hand, and from what he could see, her right leg, were completely mechanical. She seemed almost petrified when he opened the door to greet her. Hesitating for a moment, she finally said, “H-Hi, I a-am Janet,” in a voice so quiet Savar had to strain his ears to hear her. He nodded and said, “Ah, yes, Inis told me you would be coming to stay for a while.” He took a step back, allowing entrance through the doorway. “Come in, please, sit down.” Janet nodded quickly, then nervously walked into the house.
After Janet had sat down, Savar went to get her something to drink, while his wife, Kiera, came downstairs. Like her husband, Kiera was also quite short for the planet, standing at only five feet ten inches, though she was still quite a bit taller than Janet. Her short, dark brown hair was showing signs of aging, with a few grey hairs here and there, and she had a deep tan like Savar. after the three of them had settled down in the living room, and Janet had taken a few sips of tea, they began to talk.
Kiera smiled, sitting opposite Janet. “Inis told us you would be coming, we have gotten a room ready for you. You can stay as long as you need to.” Savar came back into the room and nodded, handing a cup to Janet, who smiled weakly, “T-Thank you... b-but I d-don’t want to be a b-burden,” Kiera smiled and leaned forward. “You won’t be a burden," she said. "It will be a pleasure to have you stay. We don’t get many visitors other than family,” to which Savar nodded again, content to let Kiera talk. Janet held her cup in both hands up near her face. “Thank y-you,” She murmured, eyes glancing downwards. Kiera glanced to see what Janet was looking at, but couldn’t see anything. “Our pleasure, you just stay there, I am sure you are tired after your journey.” Janet nodded, and took another few sips from her cup.
Savar sighed and stood up as the door bell rang. “I’ll get it, you two ladies stay here,” he said as he walked out of the room. Kiera leant forwards, clasping her hands together and putting her forearms across her knees, “Inis told us what happened, stay here as long as you need.” Janet nodded and looked up, smiling slightly. At that moment, Savar came back into the room, followed by a tall, red-haired woman who appeared slightly younger than Janet. She walked at a brisk pace, her lively eyes constantly shifting their focus. Kiera smiled brightly. “Caylais! We weren’t expecting you," she said, "you should have called!” Caylais smiled and dropped down onto the sofa next to Janet, “I wanted to surprise you, and...” Caylais paused before saying, “...I heard you had a guest,” Janet shrank back into the sofa slightly, still holding her cup in front of her face. “Caylais!” Kiera scolded, “You are scaring her,” Caylais smiled and looked over at Janet, who was still pressed back in the chair, stunned by the unexpected intrusion. Caylais reached an arm out and put her hand on Janet’s shoulder, “I am sure she is less fragile than you think,” Caylais said softly. “I-I am okay,” Janet said, her voice still very quiet. Caylais smiled and took her hand off of Janet’s shoulder as she leant forwards again, getting back up off of the sofa.
After the four of them had finished their drinks, Caylais took Janet on a tour of the house, the loud and excitable red-head showing off her family home. “Down there is the kitchen and the dining room.” Caylais indicated down the first corridor away from the living room, then she started walking to the stairs. She smiled and said “Better show you to your room.” Janet nodded, but said nothing as she followed Caylais up the stairs. At the top, Caylais indicated a number of doors with an exaggerated sweep of her arm. “Four bedrooms, and a bathroom. Now... You are probably in my old room. I have my own house now,” Caylais smiled and walked to the third door and opened it, inside was a large, but quite plain double bed, a chest of drawers, a wardrobe and a desk." On the desk was some stationery, as well as a few pieces of electronics, and on the windowsill above the bed was a vase of fresh flowers, which Janet decided was placed there by Kiera. Caylais smiled and continued. “Yup, my room, a bit plain, but certainly the best one in the house.” Janet nodded, and smiled weakly before walking into the room and taking a look around.
Inside, she saw that there was also a bedside table on the far side from the door. On it was a small lamp, and under it was a stack of old books and magazines. Caylais gave a small sniff of disapproval and said, “I see they took my posters down.” She shrugged. “Probably for the best, they weren’t exactly current anyway.” Janet sat down on the bed and skimmed through the stack of books and magazines. The books varied from fiction, to autobiographies, to scientific texts, and many of the magazines were science journals. Janet glanced at Caylais and asked, “These are yours?” Caylais stuck her tongue out and nodded. “Not just a pretty face," she replied playfully. "I work as a neurosurgeon at CGR, that is, Centre for Genetics Research." Janet nodded, smiled, and carefully stacked the books and journal back in their original places, then stood up. “I-If this is your r-room... one will be your p-parents room... w-who has the o-other two rooms?” Caylais smiled, and led Janet out of the room. “Well, one is Inis’s. Since she works off-planet, she doesn’t own a house here, so when she visits, she stays here. The other is Gollee’s, he works off-planet too.” Janet nodded and followed Caylais out of the room.
As Caylais guided Janet around the house, she showed off various aspects of the sizable building; Janet was particularly interested in both Savar and Kiera’s studies, which held a wealth of files and textbooks on the subject of genetics. “Y-Your family must b-be rich to have such a large house...” Janet said, as Caylais led her back downstairs. Caylais shrugged, “Not especially so, this is a colony world still, so land is cheap, and we have a lot of people contributing.” Caylais gave a short laugh, “You should see my Uncle’s house, he is the rich one, his house is a couple of miles away. Mine is just down the way from here.” The two of them returned to the living room where Savar sat, looking at his PDA with concern etched on his face. Caylais walked over to him and asked, “Something wrong?” He sighed as he looked up. “Well, Inis is coming home sooner than expected, she had a bad time of it soon after you left,” he said, nodding to Janet. “She is coming for a few days of rest, and by the sound of it, she has had quite the ordeal.” Both Caylais and Janet looked concerned. “D-Did she say what it was?” Janet asked. Savar shook his head, saying, “No... but she will probably tell us when she gets here tomorrow...” He glanced between the two of them, “How about we get some food, Kiera just finished cooking a lovely roast.” The two of them smiled and stood up, making their way to the dining room.
After dinner, Janet excused herself to get some rest, citing that the journey had been rather arduous, though Caylais managed to extricate a promise to go to the beach before she left the table. Once upstairs, Janet spent an hour or so skimming through the books that the family had provided for her. Then, after taking some medication to reduce her persistent headache, as well a prescription sleep aid, she climbed into bed and feel asleep.
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In the morning, Janet awoke to a gentle tap on her door. “I will have breakfast ready in a few minutes, you can have some if you get up soon,” Kiera called through the door. Janet smiled groggily and said, “O-Okay, I am g-getting up,” She slowed pushed herself out of the bed, and after putting on some fresh clothes, she went downstairs. In the dining room, Kiera and Savar were already dishing up the food; scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, hash browns, a full old-English breakfast. The three of them sat quietly at the table eating for a while, before conversation began to pick up. “Did you sleep well?” Kiera asked Janet, smiling. Janet nodded. “Y-Yes, thank you..." she said, then looked at Savar and asked, "What time w-will Inis get h-here today?” He rubbed the side of his chin and frowned. “Hmm... well, I think she will be here by lunch; she called Varan to pick her up from the space port... considering the speed he drives at, she will probably be here about an hour before lunch.” Kiera smiled at this, saying, “It will be good to see her again, she hasn’t visited since last month.” Janet nodded and ate her food more quickly. In between bites, she asked, “S-She told me that y-you two are scientists?” They both nodded. Kiera leaned forward. “And she told us that you are a geneticist, I think. Is that right?” She glanced at Savar, who nodded. “Y-Yes, I'm a g-geneticist... i-it's good work...” Janet stammered, looking down at the food in front of her. Savar frowned. “Are you alright?” Janet nodded slightly. “Y-yeah, it is just...” She made a dissmissive gesture with her hand. “I mean... it d-doesn’t p-prove I'm good at anything... it really just m-means that I can p-push buttons, and h-have an expensive p-piece of paper to c-certify it.” Kiera put a hand on Janet’s shoulder, looking concerned. “It does mean something... It means you devoted yourself to helping people. That is the most noble, and meaningful, thing you can do. Look at Caylais, she can do a thousand things, but knowing how to fix a genetic deformity, that isn’t one of them. She can help the living... but only you can bring them back if she fails. You may not help people as often as she does, but you are just as important.” Janet took a deep breath and nodded, Kiera smiled and leaned back into her chair.
After breakfast, Savar brought down some of the research data from his study, so Janet could look through it. She spent several hours leafing through the documents until the doorbell rang. Kiera answered the door, and two people came into the living room. First came a tanned, grey-haired man, wearing scruffy, crumpled, yet expensive-looking clothes. He was tall compared to Janet, probably standing around six feet high, but he was still considerably shorter than the woman who came in after him. She was very tall, at least six foot three inches, with very pale skin, even paler than Janet, and it stood out against the deep tans of the rest of the people in the room. Her hair also made her stand out, it being a deep, cyan blue, and reaching all the way down her back. Janet smiled faintly, “H-Hello Inis,” she said quietly. Inis turned and smiled at her. Janet was shocked to see that Inis’s lip was split, and that she had the fading traces of blackened eyes. “W-What happened t-to you?” Janet asked, staring at the injuries. Inis grimaced and reached up to touch her lip. “I had a disagreement with someone,” she said softly. “All sorted now... how are you coping?” Janet shrugged, looking up at Inis from where she sat, “B-Better... your family i-is lovely.” Kiera and Savar smiled at this, but the second man only grunted. He turned to Inis and said, “Good, good, but Inis, you shouldn’t downplay your own needs all the time. I swear, if I come across the guy who hit you...” The man made a quick, violent gesture, causing Janet to flinch. Inis gave him a stern stare, and said, “Uncle, now isn’t the time, and I have already told you, I am fine, it was dealt with.” There was silence for a moment, before Savar said, “Well, Janet, this is my brother, Varan, Inis’s Uncle.” Janet nodded and stood up as the man extended a hand. She took his hand, and was surprised when he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. He chuckled. “Pardon me for my old ways, never could get around to adapting to modern courtesies,” he explained. Janet blushed, and let her arm drop when he let go of her hand. Varan nodded to Savar and Kiera. “Well, guess I'll be going.” He turned back to Inis and Janet, and smiled at the two of them. “Inis, Janet, you two stay safe, alright? I don’t want to have to come and scoop you up out of the sea or something.” Inis made a dismissive noise, and said, “Like you would be able to swim faster than me.” Varan smiled, nodded to them both, and left. They heard the door shut behind him.
Janet smiled as Inis sat down next to her and leaned back in the chair. “H-How have you been?” Janet inquired of her. Inis looked over and smiled, “Pretty good, barring the disagreement. I took a week off work after that, though Gordon wouldn’t let me out of the apartment for the first two days, too worried that something else might happen. It took a day to travel here... and here I am, for three days.” Janet smiled slightly, then asked softly, “A-Are you truly o-okay? It looks p-pretty bad...” Inis nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable. “It is a lot better than it was.” Changing the subject, she asked, “How about you, feeling okay?” Janet nodded. “I-I have some m-medicine... to help with t-the headaches... and s-something to help me sleep...” Inis smiled faintly. “Don’t worry; the headaches should fade in a couple of days...”
Kiera looked up with an expression of mild displeasure as Savar bustled back into the room with a first aid kit. Inis groaned and covered her face. “Dad, you aren’t going to be able to do anything, I have already cleaned up these cuts, Gordon has and a doctor has, they will heal when they heal,” she sighed in exasperation. Savar looked at Inis stubbornly. “It isn’t going to hurt to take a look is it? At the very least you could take some painkillers, I don’t know how you eat with your lip cut open like that, though it isn’t like you eat enough as it is.” Inis shot him with a fierce glare, but he didn’t back down. Instead, he came closer, crouched down in front of where Inis was sat. He seized her chin and pulled her head from side to side so he could inspect the healing wounds. Janet looked on in mild amusement as Savar forced Inis to swallow some painkillers despite her protests, before applying some medicinal cream to her lip and around her eyes. When he had finished, Inis pulled her head out of his grip and said, “I knew I should have waited for them to heal before I came home...” Kiera made an amused sound and sat back in her chair as Savar replaced the first aid kit.
“Right... now that that is dealt with...” said Inis, giving her father an annoyed glance, which he returned a smile, “...we can see about getting you up and about the city.” Inis looked over at Janet, who appeared quite wary about the idea. Kiera smiled and said, “Caylais has already made Janet promise to go to the beach with her today, she should be arriving soon.” Inis nodded, then looked at Janet again. “Did you bring a swimsuit with you?” Janet shook her head. “I d-didn’t think to...” Inis shrugged, brushing her hair back from her face, where it was sticking to the ointment. “There are plenty of shops at the waterfront, we can get you one there, they are sure to have one that suits you.” Janet blushed slightly, looked down and nodded. At that point, the doorbell rang again, and Kiera went and let Caylais in.
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The three of them soon left the house, wandering down towards the coast. It was an easy two-mile walk, as the land around the misted sea was quite sparsely developed; the development having only really started after the near constant storms had finally been silenced. It took the three of them nearly an hour to reach the beach, and another thirty minutes after that were spent in shop after shop as Caylais attempted to find the swimsuit that suited Janet best. The three of them then walked down onto the beach. It was relatively empty for it’s size, as they had decided to go during normal working hours. As they approached the water, Caylais ran ahead, wearing a red and orange swimsuit, complimenting her hair, so she said, while Janet hung back slightly with Inis, slowly approaching the sea. Inis was wearing her dark blue swimsuit, while Janet had gone with Caylais’s suggestion of a black and grey swimsuit, matching her hair. When she reached the water, Caylais immediately dove in, swimming rapidly until she was fifty metres out. Janet watched with mild confusion. “I-Isn’t it c-cold?” Inis smiled and shook her head. “We are in the planet's tropical zone, the water is nice and warm.” Inis suddenly took off, running towards the water. Janet hesitated for a moment, then ran after her, following her into the sea.
Though Janet wasn’t anywhere near as good at swimming as Inis or Caylais, the three of them spent over half an hour in the water, before Janet admitted to feeling quite faint. By this point, the beach was slowly beginning to fill up with people, and several boats had cast off from the nearby slipways. The three of them decided to go up to the waterfront and get some drinks so Janet could rest for a while. As they walked along the waterfront, a group of four men was walking towards them, the three women altered their path, but the other group angled back in on them. “Hello there, ladies,” the leader of the group said with a smirk, as he and the three others halted in front of Janet, Inis and Caylais. Caylais stared at him, unimpressed. “Yes? What do you want?” she said, rudely. The man looked vaguely irritated; he and his three friends shifted position slightly, blocking any path to the sides. People who were passing nearby only glanced over, and went past hurriedly. “It is dangerous to walk around alone, I am surprised you three don’t know that,” the man said threateningly, taking a step forward. Janet had turned very pale, glancing around herself at the surrounding men. They weren’t as tall as the natives; she guessed that they were likely off-duty employees of some corporation.
The man stepped even closer to Caylais. Leering, she drew her arm back to slap him, but one of the others seized it. “Hey!” she cried as he pulled her over, wrenching her to the ground. the men laughed and advanced forwards, but stopped when they heard a voice behind them. “What, exactly, do you think you are doing?” The leader turned around to glare at the newcomer, a massive man, towering over all of them, with corded muscles running across his arms and neck. “Piss off!” the leader snapped at him. The newcomer ignored him, and glanced between the four men, until he saw Caylais kneeling on the ground, with one of the men twisting her arm. Instantly, the large man lunged forwards, seizing the unfortunate assailant by the shoulder, spinning him around, and slamming a fist into the side of his face, which gave way with a cartilaginous crunch. The man dropped instantly, letting go of Caylais as he did. The other three men roared in rage and leapt at the newcomer, driving him back as he fought off their attacks. Inis rushed into the fight, lashing out at the backs of the men, while Janet helped Caylais to her feet and led her away from the melee.
Inis drove her foot into the back of the knee of one of the attackers, knocking him down and making him vulnerable as she drove kick after kick into his stomach. The large man grabbed one of the last two men by the front of his shirt, ignoring the attacks of the last man, and hurled him down onto the beach, a good ten feet. The man landed flat on his back, gasping like a fish. The last man took a step back, glancing around, to see that out of his allies, he was the last one standing; one was unconscious in a small pool of blood, one was being beaten to a pulp, and the third was too winded to fight. The man turned and ran. Inis finally relented from kicking the man she had knocked over, and he too scrambled to his feet and ran off as fast as he could.
Inis looked over at the large man and smiled. “Gollee! Good timing, how did you know we were here?” Gollee shrugged. “I came back for a day, since I heard we were all here, Savar told me that you had gone to the beach, so I came to meet you, I had no idea you would have gotten into a fight already,” Very gracefully, he walked over to Caylais and Janet. “Caylais, are you alright?” he asked seriously, looking her over. She nodded, noticeably subdued. Gollee sighed, then looked at Janet. “I don’t believe we have met, thank you for helping Caylais.” Janet nodded quickly. She was very pale, her eyes wide with shock. “N-No p-problem,” she stammered, staring at the ground. Her hands were shaking slightly. Inis walked over to her, putting an arm over Janet’s shoulders and hugging her slightly, “It is over now...” She looked at Gollee. “Gollee, this is Janet, she is staying with us for a while, she is one of my friends.” Gollee nodded. “An honour to meet you, Janet, I apologise for this..." he said softly, gesturing at the detritus of the battle. “This sort of thing doesn’t happen often, I promise you.” Janet nodded again, then turned to Inis and Caylais. ”I-I think I want to go b-back now...” Inis nodded, as Caylais poked at the grazes on her arms, wincing. “That might be for the best.” The four of them started walking back towards the town. Janet, who was now quite exhausted, was being partially supported by Inis.
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When they arrived back at the house, Savar and Kiera met them at the door. Savar took Janet from Inis and led her inside to sit down, while Kiera fussed over Caylais’ injuries, covering them over with bandages and ointment. After she had finished, she glanced between Inis and Caylais. “What happened?” she asked, checking Inis for injuries. Caylais shrugged. “Some thugs... Gollee and Inis dealt with them.” Inis nodded and said “I didn’t do much, Gollee did most of it.” Kiera glanced at Gollee with slight suspicion, then begrudgingly said, “Thank you.” Gollee nodded, not saying anything. After Kiera was satisfied that Inis wasn’t injured, the four of them went into the living room, where Savar was giving Janet a cup of tea. Janet looked up as they entered. “A-Are y-you all alright?” she asked, sipping at the tea, her hands still shaking. Kiera nodded. “They are fine.” The six of them filled the chairs in the living room. Caylais was still checking her wounds. “If you keep looking at them, they won’t heal,” Kiera scolded. Caylais sighed and settled down into her chair. Savar looked at Gollee. “It was a good thing I sent you down there...” Gollee shrugged. “These three could have handled it, I just helped.” Janet shook her head sharply. “I-I wouldn’t have b-been able t-to help... If you hadn’t s-shown up...” Caylais nodded in agreement. “I don’t think we would have stood a chance. Sure, Inis knows how to fight, but I don’t and Janet doesn’t, and I don’t think even Inis is good enough to hold off four guys.” Gollee looked mildly uncomfortable at the praise. Savar noticed, and changed the subject. “Any idea who they were?” he asked Inis, who shrugged. “Not natives, I would guess they were corporation employees, looking for someone they could bully.” Caylais raised an eyebrow at the word bully, but stayed silent.
“Well, after all that unpleasantness, you could all do with a good meal,” Kiera said, standing up. The four of them nodded. Kiera smiled. “Well, the stew I was cooking should be just about finished, if you all come through to the dining room, Savar and I can dish it up.” The group stood, and made their way to the dining room to sit around the table. Inis smiled. “It is lucky Sarin or Delin’ aren’t here, we wouldn’t have enough chairs if they were.” Gollee nodded, and said, “Mhmm, well, I am only here for the day, I have to be back at Central for tomorrow.” Caylais made a disappointed sound. “Shame... We only see you once a month; they won’t give you any more time off?” Gollee shook his head regretfully. “Nope... I only get two days off a month, and I have to spend one in transit to get to and from here.” The conversation stopped as food was brought through by Kiera and Savar, who were carrying trays laden with bowls, bread and condiments. The stew was a thick, meaty broth, filled with chunks of cooked meat and large cuts of vegetables. Savar had also brought thick slices of homemade bread, which went perfectly with the soup. The conversation meandered around, going from work, to politics and many other things. Kiera placed her spoon down, and turned to Gollee. “Now, Gollee, do you have anyone yet?” Gollee looked up, confused. “Pardon?” Kiera sighed. “Do you have anyone special, I mean. Caylais has Sarin, Inis has that... foreigner. Do you have anyone yet?” Gollee turned slightly red, and said, “No,” before looking back down at his food. Kiera sighed again, and then Inis said, “Mother, can you just drop this, for once? You are the only one that cares.” Kiera stared at her daughter for a moment, before continuing to eat.
There was an awkward silence after that, which no one seemed inclined to break. After the stew was finished with, Savar dug some ice cream out of the freezer. The six of them moved back into the living room, eating their ice cream. After finishing, Caylais stood, said her goodbyes, and went to leave. But before she turned to walk out the door, Kiera said sharply, “Gollee, escort her home.” Caylais laughed. “Mum, I can look after myself.” Kiera stared at her, then gestured at the bandages on her arms. “Obviously you can’t.” Caylais looked shocked for a moment, then opened her mouth to retort, but Gollee put up his hand to stop her. “Caylais, it is fine, I could do with a walk.” Caylais glared at her mother for a moment, then nodded, and walked out, Gollee in tow.
Another period of silence ensued, but this time it was Janet that broke it. “Y-You have a n-nice family, Inis...” she said quietly, placing her empty bowl on the coffee table. Kiera and Savar smiled broadly at this. Inis replied, “Thank you, but... I have never really heard you talk about your family. What are they like?” Janet flinched as though struck. “M-My family isn’t as nice as y-yours...” she said, looking down. Inis quickly stood up and moved next to Janet, hugging her tightly with one arm; Janet leaned against her, head bowed. They sat there for a moment, before Janet looked up, “I-I don’t t-talk to them much... except for L-Laura... my sister... she's the o-only one I've k-kept in contact with... she is n-nice, y-you might w-want to meet her...” Inis nodded, and Janet picked up a small cup of tea that Savar had just brought in, taking a shaky sip. “I-I think I need to go get s-some rest... I-I am really tired from the b-beach...” Inis nodded, and let go of her. Janet stood up, said goodnight to the other three, and went into the corridor and up the stairs.
Savar, Kiera and Inis remained seated in the living room. Savar began to question Inis about Janet. “You haven’t really told us much about her, just that she needed a place to stay and recover. What happened to her?” he asked, clearing up the bowls. Inis hesitated for a moment, then said grimly, “She tried to commit suicide.” Savar stopped what he was doing instantly, “What?!” he exclaimed. “Why would she do that? She seems like such a nice girl!” Inis nodded. “She is, but she is... fragile... her boyfriend of a couple of months left her for someone else. When she heard, she drank a lethal dose of tranquilizers.” Kiera looked shocked. “I knew there was something about her that was off... how long ago was this?” Inis shrugged. “A week, no more.” Savar sunk back into his chair, bowls still on the table. “That would explain the headaches...” He looked at Inis sharply. “What part do you have in this?” Inis sighed. “I saved her, with help from a friend. I found her just after she drank the tranquilizers. I managed to flush them from her system.” Kiera nodded, smiling slightly with pride. “She has come a long way in a week, she is quite resilient.” Inis nodded at this. “She is, though she doesn’t believe it herself. The side effects of the tranquilizers should fade in a few days, though the mental trauma will take longer.” The three of them exchanged looks, and began to clean up the living room and the dining room.
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In the morning, both Janet and Inis were woken by Kiera rapping on their doors, calling them to breakfast. The two of them met up in the corridor, before going downstairs together. They found Gollee already downstairs, eating quickly, and the two of them sat down next to him. “I have to go soon, my flight back up is in three hours or so,” he explained. Inis sighed, and Janet nodded. Savar brought them each a plate loaded with pancakes, he pointed to a tray in the middle of the table, “Sauces are there, along with sugar, etcetera, provided Gollee hasn’t had it all.” Gollee smiled at him with a mouth full of pancake. The other two sat eating, as Gollee had already finished and was waiting for them. After they had all finished, the three of them went back upstairs to play on Gollee’s old gaming system, though Gollee beat them resoundingly every time. Once he stopped playing himself, Janet managed to beat Inis several times at some sort of strategy game. In what seemed like a very short amount of time, it was time for Gollee to leave, so the three of them walked to the door, where Savar and Kiera met them.
“You are leaving then?” Kiera asked, standing beside the door. Gollee nodded, collecting a small suitcase from beside the stairs. “I will be back for another stay next month,” Savar smiled, “Always nice to have you around. Too bad you can never stay longer.” Gollee nodded again, and opened the door. “Tell everyone I said hello.” He turned to Inis and Janet and nodded to them, “Inis, Janet.” Inis waved while Janet smiled slightly. Gollee nodded to his parents and left.
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After the two of them had freshened up, Inis and Janet left the house again. Inis was determined to show Janet as much of the city as possible while she was here, and they started by going to a shopping centre via bus. They arrived a couple of hours before lunch, and set off to see what they could find. Janet had previously expressed an interest in the technology that was available on world, so Inis led her through the shopping centre, until they found a section devoted to the three research centres that practically ran Cevalon. The shops contained a virtual cornucopia of technology, from advanced genetically modified animals, to shelf after shelf of electronics.
Inside one of the stores, Inis stroked the beak of a Stormhawk. It tilted its head towards her hand so she could reach it better. “I always wanted one of these,” she said wistfully. “Never could afford it though, and I wouldn’t have anywhere to put it.” Janet was leafing through the notes on the Stormhawk’s cage, her eyes alive with interest at the modifications, “T-These are s-simply some amazing m-modifications, not immensely d-difficult, b-but in a direction I don’t think anyone could h-have expected.” After a while, she moved over to look at the electronics section, which had products ranging from advanced processor units, to entire self-contained personal AI units. Janet muttered to herself, “I-I don’t know how t-they make money from these p-prices...” She looked over at Inis, who was still standing near the Stormhawk's cage. “W-What else do these c-centres do?” Inis turned around and smiled. “Companies pay them to upgrade technology, that is where their money comes from. This stuff is just to advertise what they can do, so the prices are low.” Janet nodded, collecting a few items from the shelves before taking them over to the cashier.
After Janet had bought the items, the two of them headed back into the main shopping centre. Janet was looking for something for Laura, but the two of them stopped at a café first. The two of them ordered a drink each, as well as a small, cold lunch. They took their food over to a small table and sat down, unwrapping the sandwiches. Inis took a bite out of her sandwich. “Mmm, beef and cheese. What about you?” Janet took a cautious bite out of her sandwich, hesitated, then smiled, “E-Egg salad.” The two of them quietly ate their sandwiches, along with the rest of their food, before setting off again. Eventually, Janet found a camera with a built-in directional laser microphone and universal recorder for Laura. Inis, however, didn’t buy anything, but she did go into a few different shops, talked to the managers, then left, smiling. After a another couple of hours, they boarded a bus to take them home.
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They arrived back at the house about an hour before dinner. Janet swiftly stowed her purchases upstairs while Inis helped Kiera with the food. The four of them sat down at the table to eat a large meal of spaghetti bolognaise. Savar turned to Janet as they ate. “How is your headache?” Janet smiled and said quietly, “B-Better, thanks, I w-won’t need to take any m-medicine tonight...” The other three nodded and smiled, then Kiera said, “Janet, we got some letters for you while you were out.” She slid three envelopes across the table to Janet. “I suspect one of Inis’s friends told them.” Janet nodded, picking up the letters. “P-Probably Kimberly...” She glanced at the names printed on the envelopes and froze, then said, very quietly, “L-Laura… A-Aaron… D-Dad…” Savar glanced across at Inis in confusion. She shrugged, and then said to Janet, “You don’t have to open them if you don’t want to.” Janet looked up, and smiled slightly. “I-I want to…” Inis nodded, and Kiera handed Janet a letter opener. She opened Laura’s letter first, and read through it, then smiled sadly, put it to the side, and picked up Aaron’s letter. Janet hesitated for a moment, then cut it open, and read it. She glanced over it and turned slightly pale, but she put it on top of Laura’s letter, and then reached for her father’s. The hesitation was longer this time, but eventually she cut the letter open and read it. She let out a short gasp and her eyes filled with tears. She stood up, dropping the letter. “I-I need to g-go get some r-rest, g-good night,” she stammered, and walked quickly out of the room. Inis jumped up out of her chair and followed her, while Kiera snatched Janet’s father’s letter up off of the ground. Her eyes scanned it.
To Janet:
I heard about what happened from one of your "friends". I'm surprised you know what those are, considering what an ungrateful little brat you are. Suicide by poison, eh? I guess you didn't have it in you to do something like that the honorable way, with a gun or a rope. Swallowing a bullet is a lot more respectable than swallowing some damn poison. What made you think of suicide in the first place, huh? Always running away from your problems, just like when you were a damn kid. Do you have any idea the amount of time and effort and money that went into raising you, but of course you don't appreciate the sacrafices I had to make. All you do is think about yourself, and to hell with what everyone else needs. Even now, I have to sit down and write a goddamned old fashioned letter to your unappreciative ass because you're on a special paid vacation on a tropical paradise. I never got a paid vacation for raising you, I never even got a fucking thank you. Maybe I should have just given you a gun when you were a kid, you would have saved everyone a lot of trouble. You're a disgrace to my name and your mother's. If she had known you were going to turn out like this, maybe she would have gone through with the abortion.
Your father, Gerald.
Kiera’s eyes widened and she passed the letter to Savar, who read it and swore. “Gods, if I get my hands on this man he will regret that he was ever born!” Kiera picked up the other two letters and read them, her hands shaking in rage, she read Laura’s first.
Dear Janet
A friend of yours, a Kimberly Riden contacted me today. She told me what happened. Janet, I'm worried sick about you! She tells me you're staying with the family of another friend, I hope they're taking good care of you. Listen, Janet, I don't want come off as scolding, but doing something like what you did is never the answer. I know the kind of pain you felt, I've felt it many times before. But you can always talk to me about anything, no matter what. I get scared for you when days go by and I don't get a call, you're the only thing I think about. You're my sister, and my best friend, and I love you. I'll always love you, no matter what. Please, call me as soon as you can, I've written how you can reach me on the back of the letter.
Love, Laura
P.S.: If you get anything from dad, please, don't read it. You know it won't be anything good.
Kiera’s outrage faded somewhat at this letter, and she carefully folded it and put it back in its envelope. Then she opened Aaron’s note.
Dear Janet,
I am so sorry for what I did to you, and I wish you the best, I don’t know if you want to see me again, but if you don’t, I promise you will never see me again, I never wanted this to happen, and I will do anything I can to help you recover from this.
Yours, in hope, Aaron
Kiera slipped the note into the same envelope as Laura’s, then she took them upstairs, while Savar stored Janet’s father’s letter in a folder, before locking it in his desk.
Upstairs, Janet was lying on her bed, with Inis sitting in a chair next to her, a hand on her shoulder. Janet was lying with her face in her pillows, her whole body trembling as Inis tried to calm her down. Kiera carefully laid the two letters on Janet’s bedside table, and then sat on the side of the bed with her hand on Janet’s back. Janet flinched at the contact, but remained silent as Savar came upstairs, his face tight with anger. Inis looked at him, confused, and he motioned for her to come out of the room. Inis followed him out, and asked quietly, “What was in that letter to do this?” Savar stood silent for a moment, his hands clenching and unclenching. “Her father is not a good man. That letter…” He shook his head. “…I have locked that letter in my desk, I am considering launching a lawsuit for what was in there.” Inis’s eyes widened, and then she said, “It was that bad?” Savar dropped his desk key into her hand. “Go take a look for yourself.” He walked into the room and sat down opposite Kiera, running his hand through Janet’s hair as she lay on the bed, trembling.
When Inis came back upstairs, her skin was flushed with anger. she stalked back into the room, and sat in the chair at Janet’s bedside. Janet had finally sat up, with the encouragement of Savar and Kiera, though she still shook, and her face was streaked with tears. She looked up at Inis as she walked in. “I-Inis… d-did you j-just…” Inis nodded, placing a hand on Janet’s shoulder. “I read it, Janet. We can use this… we can use it to make sure he can never contact you again, you will be safe from him.” Janet hesitated, staring down at her hands in her lap for a moment, before looking up again, eyes brimming with tears. “B-But he is one of t-the only family m-members I have…” Kiera placed her hands on the side of Janet’s face, looking straight at her. “Janet… He doesn’t deserve you, he isn’t worth the air he breathes. You are a wonderful girl, and nobody should talk to you, or treat you, like I think he has…" She paused for a moment before continuing. "He... used to beat you… didn’t he? I can tell by how you flinched when I touched your back…” Janet took several, quick, deep breaths, then closed her eyes and nodded, tears running down her face. “Why did you never tell anyone?” Savar asked quietly, placing his hand on her lower leg. Janet shook her head sharply, “I-I got out… L-Laura helped me... h-he stopped bothering me o-once I had gone...” Savar nodded and stood up, then said, “I am going to take that letter to the district station, from there they will be able to load a cease and desist order to Biesel, that should stop him contacting you.” Janet said nothing as Savar walked out.
Kiera and Inis sat by Janet’s bedside for over an hour, before her trembling slowly stopped, and her breathing slowed to a steady rhythm as she drifted to sleep. They sat for a few minutes more until they were sure Janet was asleep, before quietly leaving to go downstairs. The two of them cleared the dinner dishes from the table, where they had been left over an hour before, then sat silently in the living room for a few minutes before Savar returned. When he did, he sat down heavily in his chair, and looked between the two women. “The Superintendent is going to file an order to Biesel for that guy to cease communicating with Janet. I don’t know if it will stick, but it is something.” He hesitated for a moment before asking, “How is she?” Inis and Kiera looked at each other, then Inis shrugged. “Better," she said, "but that wasn’t what she needed right now. At least she already knew that he was bad news, it will make it easier for her to get over this as well.” Kiera nodded in agreement.
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It took another day for Janet to regain the ground that that letter had cost her. In the morning, Kiera took Janet’s breakfast to her, in her room. Janet was withdrawn and pale, and she ate little, but as the day progressed, and with encouragement from Inis, Savar, Kiera and Caylais, she came downstairs after lunch, sitting quietly in the living room. Caylais even had one of her colleagues come over to check Janet’s mental state. The psychiatrist confirmed that Janet was stable state of mind, and should recover quickly.
When it came to dinner, Janet sat at the table with the others, though, again, she ate little; she did, however, get more involved in the conversation, and even smiled at a few jokes that Savar and Caylais made. After dinner, Janet sat in the living room with the family for an hour or so, then retreated back upstairs, claiming tiredness.
The next morning, Janet came downstairs on her own for breakfast, much to the relief of Kiera and Inis, and she participated much more often in the conversations going back and forth.
Inis smiled and pushed her empty plate towards the centre of the table. “Janet, I was thinking we could go to a pub for dinner tonight, have a meal, a few drinks…” Janet nodded. “I-I would like t-that.” Inis smiled again, then said, “I will see if Caylais wants to come as well.” Inis stood up, picked up her plate, as well as Janet’s empty plate, and took them through into the kitchen. Savar looked up from his second helping to ask, “Did Nanotrasen give you a deadline on when you need to be back?” Janet nodded, then looked down. “I-I need to be b-back tomorrow… I w-will need to l-leave tonight…” Kiera nodded sadly. “Inis needs to head back tonight as well, at least you can go together.” Janet smiled slightly, and sipped at her drink.
Inis and Janet spent the hours until lunch choosing what to wear. Inis decided on her warden's uniform. “This should stop us getting any unwanted attention,” she said as she put the jumpsuit over her arm and walked out of Janet’s room to her own, so she could get changed. Janet decided on a plain blue and purple plaid dress, and then the two of them walked downstairs for lunch. Caylais arrived a few hours after lunch, wearing a red and orange floor-length dress, much to the disapproval of Kiera. The three of them sat down and discussed which pubs, or bars, to visit, before they settled on one that was quite close by, and that both Inis and Caylais knew quite well. After this, they spent a few hours playing on Gollee’s game console, before heading out.
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The three of them walked into the Green Dragon, and went up to the counter to order. Janet looked at the menu for a while, while Inis and Caylais ordered their meals. She finally decided on a Garin steak, which both Inis and Caylais highly recommended. The three of them selected some drinks, and headed to a table to wait for their food. Much to their chagrin, both Inis and Caylais found that the rings on their fingers did not prevent the drunkards amongst the crowd looking at them hopefully as they passed.
The three of them settled down at a table near the corner of the room, a reasonable distance from the bar counter, and sipped their drinks, watching the crowd ebb and swell as time passed. At several points during the night, a few men, rather drunk, wandered over to their table to test their luck. One of them even attempted to pull Caylais from her seat to dance, but a swift gesture from Inis and a scowl from Janet put an end to that idea. Their food arrived after about half an hour, and the three of them ate quite quickly, despite the number of people coming over to talk to them. After they had finished, the three of them stood up, and began to move as a group through the crowd. Janet was dwarfed by the men in the crowd, but with Inis and Caylais standing on either side of her, she felt quite safe. They spent a few hours chatting and drinking, before they had to leave. Caylais to go home before she got too drunk, and Inis and Janet had to head back to the house to collect their things. They left the warm, crowded bar for the dark, cool streets as they made their way back to their homes. Inis and Janet left Caylais at her door, before heading back to Inis’s parent’s house. Once they had arrived back, Janet got changed while Inis packed their things, then the two of them said goodbye to Kiera, who made a fuss over them. She made sure that they each took a significant amount of food with them, citing that neither of them was eating enough. Savar loaded their bags into his car, and the three of them drove off towards the spaceport.
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Once they had arrived, Inis and Janet were quickly processed by the customs officials, though one of them got really worked up about Inis’ amulet. Fortunately, the matter was resolved in a timely manner. They said goodbye to Savar as well, who managed to extract a promise of another from both Inis and Janet, and the two of them boarded a space elevator capsule. The spaceport and surrounding area swiftly accelerated out of sight as they shot upward at immense speeds. Inis stepped forwards into the orbital station as the doors opened, pulling Janet along with her, so they wouldn’t be caught and crushed by the mass of people trying to get onto their capsule. Inis glanced at the impatient horde with disapproval. “You would think they would at least learn to wait their turn.” Janet nodded quickly, staying quite close to Inis, as people rushed past. The two of them headed up through the station, gravity lessening with every step. Eventually, they reached their flight, and were directed into their seats. They buckled in as the transport ship's engines began to warm up. Inis pulled her legs up onto the chair, and Janet closed her eyes and put rested her head on the back of her seat. In a matter of a few hours, they would arrive at Central Command.
