C19 Tied Up (Patreon)

The end of Executioner's Gambit.

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Tori slipped to the side despite how Sese tried to hold her still. The big officer growled, “Would you tie her down already?”

“I’m trying to!” whined Administrator Holly with a note of panic in his voice. “You’re going to drop her.”

“The… The chair keeps rolling!” exploded Sese. She shot a glance at the gigantic krakun looming over them. “Would you hold it still, Dask?”

The commissioner slipped two gigantic talons between them and pinched the chair’s base so it couldn’t go anywhere. “Okay, this was my fault. An office chair was a terrible idea. We should have grabbed a recliner or something.”

“Guys, it’s not a big deal,” said Tori.

Holly let out a breath of relief. “Okay, I got it,” he sighed. “Is that okay, Tori? Is it too tight? Can you breathe?”

“It’s fine, Holly. Yes. It’s fine.”

Daskatoma removed his talons, and Sese slowly loosened her grip until her open paws hovered on either side of the rusty red geroo, ready to grab her if she slipped from the rope that secured her to the seat’s back.

Tori rolled her eyes. “You three are just as bad as Druka, treating me like I’m made of glass. I’m fine!”

Sese took a hesitant step backward. When she was certain that Tori was secure, she said, “Okay, we’ll go wait outside. Call when you’re ready to go. And Dask…” She turned and pointed a finger at his nose. “Short visits to start. Longer ones when she gets her strength back.”

“Yes, yes, okay!” said the krakun with eager nods. “I know!”

Then, he waited impatiently while the two geroo left through the airlock and closed the hatch behind themselves.

“Hey, Dask?” said Tori.

He turned quickly back to her and lowered his belly to the deck, so she wouldn’t have to strain to look up at him. “Yeah, Tori?”

She wrinkled her muzzle. “You smell terrible … like a towel unwashed too long.”

His eyes popped wide, and his mouth hung open for a long moment before he could finally manage words. “You can smell again? That’s amazing!” he nearly shouted. He raised a talon so the tip hovered just behind her head. “And you got your ears back!”

Tori nodded like a small cub with an exaggerated, poorly controlled tilting of her head. “When I get discharged from med bay, I’m going to get them pierced again,” she explained with a grin. “You never saw me in earrings, but I really miss having them.”

Daskatoma was still staring, almost mesmerized. “And your fur! It’s all back and shiny, like a cub’s, without all the missing patches.”

She grinned. “I thought you’d be disappointed since bare spots are more like scales.”

The krakun pulled his head away slightly, and his face tightened into a smirk. With a snarky tone, he joked, “I’m being kind, obviously. Scales are infinitely superior to fur,”—then, softening his tone once more—“but it looks good on you.”

The two friends sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment before the krakun asked, “I thought you needed a third signature to get the surgery?”

Tori smiled. “You’re not my only friend with power, Dask,” she said. “I think the captain leaned on Doctor Amhela, assured him that it’s the administrators’ responsibility to decide who gets surgery, and no one else’s input is required.”

Her ears fell in a pout. “Besides, you said you’d sign it, if it was up to you.”

“Well, it is now,” he laughed with a roll of his eyes, “but that’s taken me months. I was hoping to surprise you today with your third signature.”

“It’s fine.” She grinned, adding, “But I appreciate the thought.”

He lowered his eyes and pointed with a talon. “Holly said you could make a fist already.” When she did, his eyes lit brighter, excitedly adding, “Look! Look! You closed your paw all the way!”

“Only on the right side,” said Tori, relaxing her paw and breathing hard from exertion. “I can feel everywhere, and nothing hurts now—which is amazing—but muscle control is coming back slower.”

“Soon!” He lifted his weight onto his elbows and crossed his claws in front of him. “I’m sure you’ll be back to your original self soon.”

They lapsed into silence, both all smiles. Tori’s eyes wandered the room, lingering a moment on the painting engineering had returned to the wall—presumably hanging right-side-up now and with the aluminum frame ground down until they’d reduced all traces of Troykintrassa’s final to a fine powder.

Daskatoma cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to him. “I guess you’re still pretty pissed at me.” It wasn’t a question.

Her ears fell slowly. She’d been having such fun that for a moment, she’d forgotten. She sucked her lips a moment, choosing over her words. “Well, I’m not happy with you, Dask,” she admitted, “but I’ve had a lot of time these past few months to do nothing but think, to imagine what it must have been like to be in your position.”

That was an understatement. She’d been stuck in med bay, and though Druka had tried to park himself there during her recovery, the doctor assured him that she was in no danger and kicked him out, restricting her mate to just the usual visiting hours. He stayed with her every minute he could, but even then, that left huge swaths of the day resting, rehabilitating, and being alone with her thoughts.

Tori sighed. “It seems to me that you didn’t have a lot of options: quit your job, do as the company expected, or come up with your own creative solution. I’m not thrilled with the solution you chose, but at least you tried to find a better way.”

“I did,” he agreed.

She smiled wide. “Plus, I’m feeling good these days. It’s hard to be really angry when you can use the bathroom pain-free.”

Daskatoma bellowed a deep, authentic laugh. “Yeah, that’s gotta help.”

He smiled for a long moment, not forgiven, but clearly relieved that she would remain his friend. Eventually, his smile faded, and his brow creased with concern. “Hey, Tori?”

“Yeah, Dask?”

He avoided her eyes for a bit before managing, “Do you think I turned Thojy into a monster?”

Tori wished she could hug him. Despite his huge stature, he seemed so fragile in this moment, so sincere. She had no doubt that this question had plagued him since the last time they’d seen one another.

She shrugged the best she could, despite being tied to her seat. “I don’t know,” she said earnestly. “After killing so many people, I think he lost touch with just how wrong murder was.”

But with a reassuring smile, she admitted, “I don’t know if you did that or if that was already in his personality, latent, waiting to come out.”

He sat in silence avoiding her eyes. “Because…” But couldn’t manage to complete the thought.

“I get it,” she said for him. “At some point, you’re probably going to have to do those things yourself, and you don’t want it to change you.”

He released a breath and nodded, appreciative. “Yeah, that.”

“Well, I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” Tori said. She waited for him to meet her eyes once more. “But we learn from our mistakes. Perhaps, if you ever have to, you’ll keep Thojy’s memory in your heart as protection.”

He smiled.

After another silence, she said, “I guess you’re still pissed at me for capturing Thojy.” Again, not a question.

“Well, I’m not happy with you, Tori, but I understand you believe in your job,” he admitted. With a grin, he added, “Plus, I’m feeling good these days. It’s hard to be really angry when you have your own job, and you no longer feel like you’re a burden on your family.”

He grabbed the office chair by its base and rolled it across the deck. Tori couldn’t exactly throw up her paws, but she squeaked a sedate, “Whee!”

“I guess you’ll be transferring home soon.”

She gave him a suspicious look. “Well, if someone won’t decline my transfer this time!”

“It’s tempting!” he laughed.

She drew a deep breath and released it slowly. “I’ll go back eventually, but I’d like to finish my rehab under Doctor Amhela’s supervision.” With a smirk, she explained, “Plus, you, the captain, and Administrator Holly understand that I can’t really pull my own weight until I regain more muscle control. If I go back too soon, I’ll be defending my own existence until I can work again.”

“You’re safe here,” Daskatoma assured her. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Thanks, Dask,” said Tori. She thought about her parents, her brothers, and her tiny niece. She wondered how much Lita will grow, if she’ll begin to talk, if she’ll remember her aunt when she sees her next. “Also, when I next see my family, I’d like to be my old self once more. They’ve been with me through my lowest, and I don’t want to burden them any more than I have to.”

“Yeah, I get that,” he said with a nod. “So … friends again?”

Tori grinned as wide as her ears could stretch. “I suppose … if you promise to take a bath now and then—you stinker.”

He opened his mouth wide and raised a claw to his chest, acting appalled by her comment. He snarked, “Well, if you’d just get a little muscle control back, you could hold your nose!”

“I can’t wait!” shouted Tori.

The End

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Reviewer's link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h11FEfNFFfI-IDtRrBQT__XnJaHsIf0YCAnbBoWWhuo/edit?usp=sharing

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