Of Another Dimension (22 page)

"Gartnack! You... you... well
, I never!" Teila spluttered, "I have never been so insulted in all of my revolutions!"

"Neither have I," Teivel agreed in a growling voice, "Congratulations. You have managed to insult
me
, my brothers
and
their mate..."

"
I'm only technically Kieve's..." I interjected.

He gave a guttural growl and swung his gaze towards me, nostrils flared, teeth bared in a vicious snarl.

Eep!

Okay
, so I've never
really
seen him
mad
before.

And now I have...

"Shutting up," I chirped quickly and motioned as if I was zipping my lips and throwing away the key.

His head snapped back to Teila.

"You've done absolutely nothing at all, insulting and complaining aside, since you've walked through that door. I shouldn't have called you a gartnack. It would be insulting to their species."

"OH!" Teila shrieked, stamping her foot.

Hah!

"What's a gartnack?" I asked
quickly, braving his wrath again.

I wanna know too!

This is awesome! Come on, Teivel, tear her a new one!

"What the seven moons are you smiling about?" Teila snapped
, catching me through the corner of her eye, stopping her tirade long enough to look over at me.

How to answer that?

Hmm…

I mentally tapped a finger to my chin in thought.

I smiled at her sweetly suddenly, inspired.

"The look on your face," I said smugly.

She shrieked and made to lunge at me.

I tensed up and braced my
self, planting my feet, ready for the fight.

Bring it on Biiiiaaatttccchhh!

Teivel put himself in front of me and spoiled all the fun.

Party pooper.

Teila shrieked out in rage, but backed up.

“Enough,” he growled, “I already told you. I don’t possess one, I can’t do anything about it. You will just have to wait.”

"Then you are going to take me to one or I will make your life miserable until you do!" She raged.

"I totally could have taken her," I insisted
, put out at being cut off.

I went to side step him, but he just moved with me.

Teivel shocked the shit out of me by chuckling at me as I tugged at his shirt and tried to get around him.

"Well? What will it be?" Teila demanded, hands on her nonexistent waist.

"We'll take you to one in the morning. It takes a while to get there," Teivel snapped at her, rubbing his forehead in frustration, massaging the skin between his horns.

"Hmph," she huffed and with a girlish twirl and a hip snap, she left.

"You know, if she isn't careful, she's gonna break something. ...like a twig."

Teivel raised a brow at me questioningly.

I picked up a long stalked vegetable, put it up to my shoulder, twirled like she did, all flounce and huff, and snapped the stalk in half, mimicking her angry face as I flailed around the kitchen.

Teivel just shook his head at me and snorted.

I grinned and took a bow.

Ta dah! Thank you!
Thank you! You’re too kind.

My brief moment of vegetable
stupidity ended
, I won’t be quitting my day job anytime soon,
and I took another glimpse of the kitchen.

Shudder.

Glancing at each other, we both, as if in silent agreement, got to work.

Quiet descended over the kitchen as we both got down to business and worked in companionable silence.

It's amazing what the promise of food will do to a person... erm, species... uh... hungry individual... whatever... you get the picture!

****

I woke up groggily when there was a loud thud and a shout.

A scream came shortly after and I popped up.

It was really late at night.

Hmmm...

I got up and walked down the hall, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I followed all the noise.

A door was open and there was a loud shriek.

I walked into the doorway and leaned against the jamb.

I blinked in disbelief at what I found.

Teivel was on the floor, his blanket clutched and wrapped around his waist, gripped tightly in his fists.

Teila was yanking at the blanket, playing tug of war completely naked.

"Let go!" Teivel seethed.

"Give me what I want and I will!"

I burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

Poor Teivel actually looked worried.

I laughed so hard I clutched at my stomach and tears streamed down my face.

Teila finally realized they had an audience and whipped her head around.

"I don't know why you're laughing, brartna.
I
am in his bed, not
you
. You may have tricked Sieren, but Teivel wants a
real
female. Not some pathetic, fat, pink blob!"

I sobered at that.

"Yeah," I muttered dryly, nodding towards Teivel, "And how's that working out for ya? He looks
real
interested in having you in his bed, Teila. Yeah, there's nothing odd about a man who runs from you when you sneak into his room."

I snorted and smiled at her.

"If Teivel wants a real female, then what is he doing with you?"

Teila screamed at me, but didn't make a move towards me.

I pushed off of the jamb and gave Teivel an evil smile.

"I'll just let you two have at it.
” I waved and turned around. “Have fun, evil eyes!" I sang, cackling down the hall.

I walked back to my room and grinned like a loon when Teila bellowed out in rage.

Heh. Heh.

My smile slipped a little when she bellowed out again and I glanced at the only thing safely separating me from her.

Guess I should make sure my door is locked.

****

Forty or so minutes later, my door knob jiggled and wiggled.

Shit, I'm glad I locked it.

She probably decided to kill me and hide the body.

The door snicked open and I tensed up.

Teivel hurried in and closed the door behind him, his blanket wrapped tightly around him.

"Uh... what are you doing?" I asked at a loss.

"She's insane!" Teivel hissed quietly and stormed over to me.

He eyed me in the bed for a minute and proceeded to climb in.

"Hey!" I huffed and shoved at him.

"Shhh!" he hissed in a whisper, "Move over!"

"No! Go to your own bed! This is mine!"

"Yeah?
Someone
pissed her off and now she's out for blood! I'm not going to sleep in
there
. Who knows what that screwed up female has in store for me when I fall asleep!"

"Guess someone should have given her what she wanted then
, huh?" I giggled.

He gave me a black look and hushed me.

"Why are we whispering?" I whispered back, "Can't she hear us anyways?"

"I locked her in Sieren's bathroom. I left his compla playing loudly in his bedroo
m. If we whisper, she can't hear us."

I gaped at him.

"You what?!"

"Don't worry," he assured me, misinterpreting my distress, "she can't get out. I tranqued her first."

He settled himself beside me and let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh
, my god! You are just as warped as she is!" I yelled.

"Really
, Lil?" he said impatiently, "If I was as bad as Teila, then I would be trying to fuck you before Sieren, wouldn't I?"

"What? That's not even an apt comparison. You hate my guts! You'd rather hump a red, rope of evil licorice than consort with me."

I paused and amended, waving a hand around at him.

"This doesn't
count. Us in bed. This is a one-time deal. It's more like... a temporary truce... for self-preservation. It's better we band together,
this one time
, presenting a strong united front for the sake of our own hides against an evil entity."

Teivel looked at me thoughtfully, but didn't comment. He just stared at me for a moment.

"Don't look at me like that. Go to sleep. I uh... I'm only letting you in here because quite frankly your little ex bride is starting to get desperate."

I shuddered.

"I was a little worried she'd try to get in here or something."

I huddled under my own covers and gave him my back.

"Go to sleep, miquatka," Teivel rumbled gruffly and gave me his back too.

It was quiet for a minute and I rolled over to face his back.

"What's that mean, miquatka?"

He didn't answer.

"Is it worse than brartna?" I whispered, getting mad.

"No," he chuckled, but didn't tell me what it means.

"Is it like gartnack?"

"No.” He sounds amused now.

"What's a gartnack, anyways?"

He sighed and rolled over to face me.

"A gartnack is a slow, lazy beast that moves very, very sluggishly and emits a really foul smell to warn off predators."

"So it
’s like a skunk and a sloth. Gotcha," I said thoughtfully.

"Why is Sieren bald?" I slipped it in there.

Hey! No one will just tell me, not even Kieve, and the mystery is killing me!

"What?" Teivel laughed.

"Come on. No one will tell me and now I really,
really
want to know," I cajoled.

"I don't think... you should ask..."

"Please! Come on, 'T'," I pleaded.

"Mmm..." he debated.

"I won't tell a soul!" I promised.

"Sieren has yellow hair," he blurted.

I jerked mentally.

Uhm…
really?

Yellow hair?

He’s a blonde? …that’s the big secret to his baldness?

"Oh." My sails slippe
d, disappointed, the wind going right out of them. "Is that all?"

He laughed, shaking the bed.

"Wait... but... then he has hair and gets rid of it?” I frowned into the darkness. “Why?"

"You are noth
ing like the females on Sodrad," he laughed, but it wasn't mocking laughter.

"If they're anything like Teila, then thank god!"

He grinned and I could just make it out in the dark.

"Well..." I prodded him,
bouncing a little on the bed, "Explain! I've already been sworn to secrecy, so spill the beans!"

"Yellow hair isn't normal on Sodra
d. You saw how Teila was with Kieve.”

He stopped himself, pro
bably thinking something along the same lines I was-
And you were about to marry her.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and continued.

“Sieren used to dye it, but he had to do it so often, getting rid of it was simpler. Nobody else knows. We've always kept it a secret," he admitted.

"But... over hair? Really?"

"Yes, really." He was completely serious.

"That's
really
messed up.
Hmm...
he dyes his eyebrows then, huh?" I asked out loud, remembering that little tidbit.

"Yes."

"If it wasn't normal to have yellow hair, then how does he have it? Sodrad sounds like a really fucked up place to live. Not that Earth doesn’t have those that are prejudiced or judgmental,” I added quickly, “we have idiots like that in spades… but… wow… over his hair? Bunch of assholes if you ask me. Uh... no offense," I tacked on.

He was quiet and I thought maybe I'd insulted him.

"So... you don't really mind when someone is different?" he ventured.

"Nope, not really. Sometimes the differences in people are what make them,
them
and I like that. Makes them...
unique
. One of a kind, you know?"

Teivel rolled back over and I got the feeling he'd just officially ended my inquisition.

"Lil?"