"Sit, rest. Let me finish it."
"Stop smothering me. I want to prepare supper for you. It's late and you haven't studied at all for tomorrow. Go." She waved him off, pointing at his desk.
After meeting with his brothers, he had retrieved Ashima from the medical tent to bring her home. It was hours after sunset by the time they reached the tent.
"You need to rest. You will harm yourself further."
"I am not a fragile doll, Ki." She said with her voice full of frustration. "I will not break by doing simple tasks."
"You are insufferable! And why do you keep calling me this, Ki. This is not my name."
"It's a nickname. Your name is so long. You call me Shima when my name is Ah-Shima. I didn't think you minded, you never said anything."
"You never asked if you could call me this."
She stopped what she was doing and faced him, frowning. "I apologize, Kietnan. I didn't mean to offend you. I will stop."
"No, it's alright. I like it, honestly. I just..." he sighed and ran a hand behind his head and neck. "I am frustrated and I am angry about what happened to you today. Please forgive me for my behavior."
"You are forgiven." She said with a smile. "Now." She reached out, pointing at his desk. "Go." She watched as he walked the distance to his desk and sat himself in his chair behind it. "I'll just pull together a simple soup on a pot on the stove and then I'll go to bed. Make sure you stop and eat it before too long."
"As you wish."
~~~~~~
Shima woke and let out a yawn as she stretched. As she opened her eyes she realized it was still dark outside and only a dim lamp was on in the tent. She turned to find Kietnan grumbling frustratingly at the notes on his desk. She then looked over to the woodstove to find the top empty, no pots or bowls in sight. Good, he ate it. She smiled to herself.
She stood from her cot and grabbed a thin blanket, wrapping herself in it before going to stand beside him. "How is it going?" She asked with a yawn.
"It is fine, you can go back to sleep. You need rest."
"Not as much as you do."
"I am fine."
"It doesn't look like it. What's wrong?"
"I am just trying to figure out a specific part of tomorrow's trial." He said absentmindedly as his focus was already back on the map in front of him.
"What's the problem?"
He shook his head. "We are not allowed to discuss this with others or get help in any way."
"Hmm." She thought as she rubbed her eyes. "Do they give you the exact instructions or just hints?"
"More like a riddle. Along with specific topics to study. We don't know the exact task until we check in the morning of that trial."
"Well if I'm not allowed to try to help in any way, can you simply talk about it out loud while I listen? Sometimes that helps me when I'm stuck. I promise I won't offer any responses. I likely won't understand it all anyway."
"I... suppose." He hesitated.
"It can't hurt. Just try it."
"And you're willing to stay up and lose sleep just to listen to me?" He raised a brow muscle at her.
"Of course." She said as she began to pull a dining chair over to his desk. "This has to be the most dense wood I've ever encountered. These giant chairs weigh a ton." She said as she struggled to move it further away from the table than normal.
"Just sit on my bed. It's more comfortable, anyway."
"Are you sure you don't mind?" She said, hesitantly.
"You've already slept in it once, why would I mind you sitting on it?"
Her face blushed at the memory. "All right, then." She said as she plopped onto his bed, sitting with her legs crossed as she propped the pillow up against the headboard, leaning her back against it.
"As soon as you get tired, go on to sleep. You don't need to push yourself."
"This is important. I can stay up and listen if there's a chance it will help you succeed. I just wish I could do more. Do you mind?" She said, motioning to his blanket.
"Go ahead."
She pulled the blanket up over her, soothing her sore body with the warmth it provided. "Thanks. Now lay it on me."
He stared at her with a confused expression.
She giggled. "Another earth saying. Just start reading or hypothesizing or anything you feel led to do."
~~~~~~
Two hours later, Kietnan put out the lamp on his desk and used his excellent vision to change into his sleeping clothes. He looked at his bed where Ashima lay tucked comfortably under the blankets, slightly snoring. She had stayed up and listened to him for over an hour, occasionally asking what a word meant that her translator must not have recognized.
His lips turned up at the corners as he climbed onto the other side of the large bed, placing a pillow in between them. He wasn't going to disturb her sleep again but he didn't want to repeat how they woke up last time.
That night, when he had tried to release his arms from around her after carrying her to the bed, she had begged him not to leave her as she cried so that's what he had done. So he was confused at her reaction the next morning. He had woken to find her still asleep so he simply lay there with his eyes closed, resting. But even with his eyes closed, he could tell how uncomfortable Ashima had been to wake up with him holding her. He had wanted to open his eyes and look at her, to try to figure out exactly what her confusing reaction was, but he was afraid of making her even more uncomfortable so he laid there letting her continue to assume he was still asleep. When she had seemed to calm down, he had rolled over onto his back, releasing her as he opened his eyes and made it seem as if he was just waking up. As he stood, he inwardly chided himself for letting the human affect him enough to make himself do such childish actions.
So... if she was so disturbed by the thought of waking up in his embrace, he would simply make sure it didn't happen again.
~~~~~
"My clothes aren't-."
"They're fine." Kietnan cut Ashima off. Yesterday after he returned from completing the day's trial, he had told her of the breakfast with his brothers on the first rest day. She'd been so worried about meeting his brothers, she had been coming up with excuses to delay their departure.
"I have no way of fixing my hair."
"It doesn't matter, they have nothing to compare it to. You're the only one on this planet with fur on your head. Besides, no one in this camp is wearing anything fancy, it is part of the whole reason we're out here. To remember our origins and live simply."
Ashima stopped her pacing. "Are you saying you don't usually live like this?" She motioned all around her in the tent.
He turned to look at her, smiling as if he just realized something, and smirked. But a simple "No." Was all he said. "Let's go, we're going to get fussed at for being late."
"Fine." She groaned. She chose to wear the outfit he had provided her with rather than her own, hoping it would help his brothers to accept her. For her hair, she put in a French braid until it reached the back of her head, letting the hair that came out of her tie to trail down with the rest of it, in its natural waves. After getting all suited up, she followed him out of the tent and down the paths toward his brother's tent.
"You're late." Joreth said dryly as he simply left the door open and turned his back on the pair, walking further into the tent.
"Welcome, brother." Kahal came to greet the pair. "Welcome to my dwelling, Ah-shee-mah? Yes? I am Kahal, Kietnan's eldest brother."
Ashima removed her goggles and face covering, offering him a smile. "Yes, that's right." She nodded. "Thank you for inviting me to join you all for breakfast." She noted that he had the most intimidating physical stature of the four. The tallest, just slightly taller than Kietnan, and slightly more muscular. But he had kind eyes.
He offered her a simple nod in return.
Kietnan motioned for her to go ahead and remove her outer suit before finishing greetings. Once she was settled and had removed her boots, she turned to the middle of the tent again.
"Greetings, I am Othen. The third eldest brother." Ashima looked to her left to see another man offering her a nod in greeting. The least muscular of the four brothers, he was slightly shorter than Kahal and kietnan, but slightly taller than Joreth.
So she nodded and smiled in return. "Greetings, Othen."
"I am Joreth, second eldest." The man she recognized from the door said hello but did not nod.
Guessing that nodding was the respectful way to greet someone, she offered him a nod anyway and smiled. "Greetings Joreth."
"Come." Kahal commanded all of them. "Let us sit."
Kahal's dining table was just slightly larger than Kietnan's and had five chairs instead of two. She guessed this was because they used Kahal's tent to meet all together. She noticed one didn't match the others. She could only assume this one was brought in just for her. On the table sat a pitcher of fresh juice, a pitcher of water, a dozen empty glasses, slices of bread that appeared to be filled with spices and something that resembled raisins or dates, an assortment of fresh fruit, and of course jars of various colored liquid nutrients, was laid out on a low table in between the two couches.
The men began pulling food onto their plates and filling their glasses. Ashima poured herself a glass of water and then sent Kietnan a silent look of panic as she hadn't thought about the potential scenario where everything served were items she hadn't tested yet. She relaxed slightly when he retrieved a small fruit from the tray and handed it to her. When the aroma hit her nose, she recognized it as the fruit in the drink he had made her.
"Please. Tell us about yourself, Ashima. How did you come to end up in this frozen landscape on our planet?" Kahal asked politely.
Ashima spent the next hour telling them about her journey, her planet, a bit of her personal history, and any other information they asked for.
"And how did you end up in the care of our dear baby brother?" Othen asked
Ashima smiled at the endearment towards Kietnan. "Well, after I landed I began looking for shelter and as embarrassed as I am to admit, I fell. I slid down the side of a mountain and flew off a rock outcrop and into the river. A current carried me and I screamed, I knew I wouldn't last long in the frigid water. The next thing I knew, a large man with lavender skin pulled me out of the water. My first view of the natives." She chuckled as she glanced at him again. "I woke up in the medical tent two days later. I couldn't speak your language at that time so any more details would really have to be shared from Kietnan."
Four pairs of eyes immediately turned to look at him as he sat with his back straight and his face impassive.
"I was just returning from surveying the area west of here and heard screaming near where the rivers enter the lake. I found her and pulled her out but had no idea what I was looking at." He turned to glance at Ashima. "I didn't understand her words but I assumed she asked for me to help her. She then lost consciousness, so I took her to the medical tent."
"And after? Why is it still in your care?" Joreth said with slight distaste in his voice.
"She." Kietnan breathed out through his nostrils in frustration.
"Fine." Joreth said impassively, as if he couldn't care less about what Ashima was called. "Why is she still in your care?"
Kietnan sighed before continuing. "As the person who turned her in, the medical attendant required me to claim responsibility for her. They were going to release her and she had nowhere to go. She cannot survive in these temperatures as we can, I could not let them turn her out into the wilderness."
Joreth turned his eyes to Ashima now but his voice still addressed Kietnan. "So you took her in like a stray pet?"
"Joreth." Kietnan growled.
"Getting defensive over the alien?" His second eldest brother turned to look at him.
"Enough." Kahal commanded calmly but firmly.
"Fine." Joreth replied, unbothered.
"So, Ashima..." Othen began before taking a sip from his jar of purple liquid. "Do you have many arts on your planet?"
"Oh, yes." She smiled slightly, glad to have a change in topic. "I'm no expert on any of them, but we have many arts. Music, theater, paintings, sculptures, literature, performing arts. Too many to list, really. Are you a fan of art? What types do you have here?"
"Many kinds as well, I do appreciate most all forms of art but music is my favorite."
"Oh? Do you play any instruments?"
"As a matter of fact-" Othen's eyes lit up.
"Please don't get him started on his hobbies, we do not have all day to hear about his music." Joreth snorted and Othen looked down, defeated.
"Perhaps another time then, Othen, I could hear you play something? I'd love to hear it."
"Yes, another time." Othen gave her a slight smile.
"Honestly, Kahal, how can you sit here and indulge this nonsense?" Joreth spat.
"Joreth." Kahal warned.
"You have an unwelcome, uninvited, alien here in your dwelling and expect us all to sit here and be civil as if she's a visiting dignitary."
"I invited her here to my dwelling, Joreth. You, however, are welcome to leave any moment. After apologizing to my guest for your rude behavior."
"My behavior!" Joreth scoffed. "You invited her here to share a meal, full of fruits that are hard to acquire in this part of the land, yet she has accepted nothing but water!"
"Joreth, Ashima is-" Kietnan started but Ashima placed her hand to his forearm, stopping him.
"I apologize." Ashima quickly spoke. "I assure you I meant no offense. Please forgive me, Kahal. Joreth. Othen." She nodded to each of them. "If it is considered rude to only drink water, I will be happy to rectify my offense immediately."
She reached forward and grabbed a handful of various fruits from the dish on the table, popping one into her mouth.
"Shima." Kietnan protested.
She popped in another.
"Ashima, no offense was taken, I assure you. Joreth, it is time for you to depart from my dwelling."
"You would have this thing in your dwelling instead of your own brother?!" Joreth stood and huffed in anger.
"Your welcome will be returned to you when you can show manners and remain civil." Kahal said calmly, as if speaking about the weather. "Now, will you depart peacefully?"
Ashima watched in horror as the brothers argued.
Kietnan and Othen stood as well. "Brother do not do anything rash, let Kahal handle Joreth." Othen grabbed onto Kietnan's upper arm as Kietnan drew in deep angry breaths. The four brothers were halfway toward the door, arguing as they pushed Joreth toward it.
Ashima wasn't listening to any of them. She was struggling to draw in breath and her eyes were seeing spots of light. She opened her mouth to call out but no sound would leave her. When she realized she was going to lose consciousness, she reached forward and knocked several glasses over, causing liquid to spill. But it wasn't loud enough over the arguing. She pulled forward what little strength and focus she had left, lifting a glass jar and throwing it at the woodstove, causing it to shatter as she slumped down onto the floor.
"Shima!" She barely registered Kietnan's voice as it drew near to her, she barely felt his arms lifting her and she didn't even feel the cold as he rushed her out of the tent without wasting time to grab her outer layers. She rested her face against his broad chest.
"Ki..." she managed to whisper.
"Hold on, Shima. Just hold on!" He said as he ran. But she didn't hear it at all as her world had already faded to black.