The Lost Secret of the Silver Sea

Chapter 16: Talks

            How what? How did he end up here? How did he have legs? How was he injured? How was it that he was breathing above water? How was he still alive? All valid questions really, none he was quite sure how to answer.

            “How what? Because how is not a lot to go on.” Kaelonne mutters out loud, yelping in surprise when the human punches him in the shoulder.    

            “Sorry, I just. You’re injured and on land and… are you okay?” Hartley looks at him, worry burning in his eyes. Kaelonne thought over the question genuinely, letting a small smile at the series of emotions he’d just had to go through in the last hour.

            “I wasn’t… but I am now.” Hartley rolls his eyes with a huff and smiles, guiding him to a chair by the desk. He settles himself on the edge of the desk and leans forward enough to keep a steady eye contact with the Mermatian.

            “Those bandages look pretty old; I have clean ones here. Can I take a look at them?” Kaelonne scrunches his nose but nods anyway, they were getting itchy and wearing them for so long made him feel slightly irritated. Hartley taps him gently on the shoulder and walks to one of the close cupboards. He takes out a box with a red cross painted on it, resting it desk, next to Kaelonne’s elbow.

            Kaelonne takes off his jacket at Hartley’s aborted hand gesture, resting it on his lap and rubbing his arms on his shoulder as he finally realises just how cold the lab is. “I think most of them are healed already, they weren’t so bad after the transformation.”

            “Transformation? So… your kind can change at will?” Hartley takes one of his arms again, carefully unwrapping the bindings as he talked.

            “Not really, no, this was a whole new something, I guess. Even to me.” Kaelonne hums as the first set of bandages on his arm reveal faint claw scars. Hartley, however, frowns at this.

            “You were attacked…” It wasn’t a question and Kaelonne suddenly felt like explaining everything to the human. He felt happy to ignore the fact that they’ve only really talk one time, and so when Hartley asks him to explain, he does.

            The young royal talks in low tones, more than he ever had in the last month, Eirian would be proud. He talks about that night, coming home to find chaos, a fight he didn’t quite understand. He explained each injury as much as he could as Hartley checked them and declared them healed. Talking about the last moments in his world, the creature he met, and the magic she could do. Kaelonne talked, but he left out a few things, Eirian was a constant worry in his mind, the faith of Idris, his father, his friends, for Cassian. Hartley took it all in stride, not interrupting except to ask for the next injury. His title as a royal will remain unknown as long as he could help it, even to someone as trusted as Hartley.

            “I’m sorry to make you uncomfortable, but you’re going to have to take off the t-shirt for me to get the one on your back.” Hartley winces apologetically. It was not a problem for Kaelonne considering he was accustomed to his scales covering most of him, but it was uncommon for human to be without their clothing, so he glances at the door with pursed lips. The human catches on and silently closes it for him, turning away for a few seconds as Kaelonne takes off the borrowed piece of clothing.

            The young royal raises his eyebrows when Hartley glances at him and makes a quiet squeak before turning away again. “I-is there something wrong?” Kaelonne asks hesitantly, he was aware that humans generally had the same skin tone on their entire bodies, so it made him slightly self-conscious about the discoloured marks left behind by his missing scales on the otherwise pale skin.

            “N-no…” Hartley turns back around with an odd look on his face, and walks behind him, resting his fingers gently on the edge of the tape covering the cloth on his back were one of his fins used to be, “You’re just pretty built, that’s all, it was kind of surprising.”

            “Is that bad? It’s pretty normal back home since it’s not easy to go against the current with the tail unless you’re built for it.”

            “Oh, yea, that makes sense… this will hurt a little bit.” Hartley waits a few seconds before tugging on the tape, stopping immediately when Kaelonne hisses at the pull. “It’s medical tape, it’s supposed to stick hard, but it’s stuck pretty bad since it’s been on for so long.”

            “Just pull it out, better all at one rather than piece at a time.” Kaelonne bares his teeth in a small, silent snarl. A habit still ingrained in him.

            “You sound like me.” Hartley snorts as he braces one hand on the royal’s shoulder and fingers of his other hand pinches at the bandages, rubbing his shoulder when pulling them off elicits a pained yelp. “There you go, all done. These are… how did you get these?”

            “My fin, broke it eventually between hitting my back on the ground and pressing it against a wall.” Kaelonne rests his head on the desk, waiting for the burning pain of the pulled tape to ease. He flinches when Hartley fingers touch the edge of were the fin would’ve been, the human pulls away, “Does it look bad?”

            “No, kind of like a splotch going down your spine.” Hartley takes his cold rag and rubs it, getting rid of as much of the sticky residue as he could. “It looks cool if you ask me.”

           “Good thing I did.” Kaelonne chuckles as he turns his head enough to catch the human’s eyes.

           “Har-har. Well, I’m done with these, do you have anywhere else for me to check?” Hartley taps his shoulder again, walking over to lean on the desk.

            “Uh… I have one on my leg… it still hurts on and off, but I thinks that more because I’m consistently walking.”

            “Okay, I check that while you tell me about your time after this whole magic thing.”

            “Sure.” Kaelonne leans back in surprise when Hartley grabs a box from under the desk and sits down, taking the offered leg and resting it on his lap. He continues on, however, when Hartley rolls back the pant leg and checks on it without hesitating. Kaelonne talks about the hospital, borrowing the things from his fellow patient and leaving. He leaves out most of the things that happened in his times on the streets, but excitedly explains whatever little contraptions and aspects that struck interest with him. Hartley laughed alongside him and tried to clear up any questions as best as he could.

            “So, you broke out of the hospital?” Hartley asked, voice filled with humour.”

            “More like I left without permission.”

            “You’re lucky we free healthcare, or those people would be searching for you since the day you left.”

            “You have to pay for help?” Kaelonne eyed Hartley incredulously, leaning a forward.

            “Some places, not here, that’s why you’re lucky.” Hartley waves his hand in silent promise to explain more at a later date. “And you borrowed someone else’s stuff?”

            “Yes.” Kaelonne scrunched his nose, aware of where this conversation was going.

            “Borrowed, as you’re going to find a way to return it?”

            “Yes?”

            “Find one person out of a million, someone I’m sure you don’t even know the name off?”

            “Okay fine, yes, I stole it.” Kaelonne huffed, leaning on the back of the chair with a disgruntled look, “I didn’t want to say it, it’s not a common thing for me.”

            “It’s fine, Kellon, it’s not like you have a choice…” Kaelonne watches as Hartley scrunches his nose at a thought, “I… shouldn’t have bothered you that night. If I hadn’t kept you back…”

            “Then there was a chance I wouldn’t have been alive.” The young royal meant it. That night had been so hectic, he was sure he would’ve made to many bad choices if he was part of the fray.

            “But-“

            “No, I do not regret talking with you that night. If I didn’t, I might not have even found my way here today, I’d still be wandering the streets.”    

            “Fine,” Hartley sighs, still not sounding completely convinced. He shakes his head and waves his hand over the healing wound on Kaelonne’s leg. “This injury though, it’s not fully healed, it’s pretty deep.”

            “I had a feeling so. It was claws on my tail, must’ve transferred over.” Kaelonne scrunched his nose as twitching his foot pulled the edges of the forming scar, “…You’re taking this pretty well for a human, no offence.

            “None taken.” Hartley bares his teeth in a not-quite smile, in almost perfect mimic of the sign of challenge for the Mermatians. Kaelonne had to stap down on the feeling of returning the gesture.  “My life has always been one cluster of strange things to another. That’s why I always say that magic is simply a misunderstood science.”

            “A misunderstood science.” Kaelonne tries out the string of words, chuckling when they rolled off quite well, “I like the sound of that.”

            A knock at the door startles the pair, leaving them scrambling to tie off the bandages and repack the first-aid kit. Hartley stalks off to the door as Kaelonne pulls on his jacket, opening the door a c***k and then visibly relaxing when he recognises the person on the other side. With a quick glance at a decent Kaelonne, the young human opens the door, revealing Ford standing awkwardly.

            “You kids all good?”

            “Yep, just check over everything.” Hartley nodded his head to the first-aid kit on the table and the pile of old bandages stuffed in the bin next to the table.

            “Okay, well in that case, I talked with the Captain.” Ford nods at the silent Kaelonne and turns his attention back on his son, “Since you had the holiday right there, he wouldn’t be able to ease off all the work, but just enough that you can take care of your friend here.”

            “Oh, that’s great, I’ll give him my thanks.” Hartley smiled, grabbing his own jacket resting on a table to the side. He held out his arm in a silent gesture for the young royal to close closer, nodding his head at Ford again.

            “Hmm, it’s time we went home.” Ford nodded at Kaelonne, “So that your friend here can get some proper sleep.”