Chapter 288: The Stink
KALLE
She had to give him credit. He had clearly been terrified during the drive—overwhelmed by how quickly the unusual sights and smells passed—but he'd just white-knuckled the Oh Shit handle on the ceiling and held his tongue. Luckily it was only a few minutes drive into the university town, and she had a staff park at the back of the library, so she didn't have to look for one—or force Gahrye to walk around campus. She had a feeling he was reaching overload.
She pulled the car into the parking space that faced the red-brick behind of the library building, then turned the car off. Gahrye took a deep breath, then winced. But his eyes were open—if slightly wide—and even though he swallowed hard, his hand was steady when he tried to push it open.
"You need to pull that little handle there in the middle," she said, pointing at it.
He found it and pulled it, shouldering the door open and stumbling out of the car, then halting stiffly and staring around.
Kalle looked. There was nothing significant about this area—the brick wall of the tall library with concrete steps and a single metal rail leading to the door. Several parking spaces in a U shape between this building and the next one, which was much smaller. Only one science lab and the maintenance storage and security rooms. Behind them the area opened out into a larger parking lot, with a few trees and the campus one hundred feet away.
She couldn't see anything especially dramatic, but she supposed this must look so different to him.
To her surprise, he walked straight to the stairs and knelt, touching the molded concrete stairs first with one finger, then with all of them, then sniffing his fingers. "What is this stone? Why does it stink? How is it carved?"
Kalle locked the door and walked around the car to join him. "That isn't stone—at least, not what you would call stone. It's cement. It's manmade. It begins as a liquid… sort of. Like mud? We can pour it and mold it, then when it hardens it's like that."
Gahrye shook his head, staring at the concrete, then stood and ran his hand along the steel railing, which was so old the enamel paint was half-worn off from years of student and staff hands running along it.
"Why is everything so straight? So… precise?"
"It's required by our laws. So things don't fall over. There's special braces inside the walls and… well, I don't know enough to explain it intelligently, but I'm sure you guys use the same engineering, just maybe on a smaller scale? You don't really have machines, right?"
"No, we don't," he said, and his voice was so flat, she turned to face him to make sure he wasn't about to pass out or something.
*****
GAHRYE
Gahrye shook his head. If this was what machines made, he wanted nothing to do with them. But he also didn't want to offend his mate. So he straightened from the metal pole he'd been examining and looked at her. "This is the library?"
"This is the staff entrance. Coming in this way means we're less likely to run into people I know. And Grandma will—"
Gahrye saw a flash in the corner of his eye and turned towards the door at the top of the stairs as it opened and a man—tall for a human, though still inches shorter than Gahrye—stepped out and his eyes widened when he saw Kalle. He wore a long, straight coat that made his shoulders look very broad, and a thick scarf wrapped around his neck. His hair was strangely still and shiny, high and brushed back from his forehead. His jaw was shadowed with stubble and he wore strange black frames over his eyes.
He was handsome by Anima standards, though Gahrye was still unclear if that aligned with human ideals.
"Kalle!" he said, his face lighting up.
Kalle muttered, "Shit!" and cut Gahrye a look. "Let me handle this," she breathed low enough that only his Anima hearing would pick it up. He frowned at her, but did as she asked and waited for her to step ahead of him up the stairs where the man had walked to the end of the landing and was smiling at her.
"There you are," he said warmly. "I was just looking for you."
"What are you doing here, Dillon?" she said without smiling.
Gahrye stayed at her back as she trotted up the stairs, staying one step below her, but still towering over her when she reached the top.
"I told you, I was looking for you, babe!"
"I am not your babe."
Gahrye tensed as Kalle folded her arms and her scent became prickly and hard edged. He eyed the male, who kept his chin too high and held a smile that was a little too unmoving to be natural.
"Kalle," the guy said, cutting a quick glance at Gahrye, "Can we talk privately?"
"No," she said shortly and fisted Gahrye's shirt, pulling him up the final step. She caught him off-guard, and he was forced to put his hands at her hips to make sure he moved around her, rather than over her.
The male didn't miss the touch. His smile got tighter.
"Hi," he said calmly, "I'm sorry I was rude. My name's Dillon." Then he held out a hand and looked at Gahrye expectantly.
Gahrye stared at the hand. What strange human tradition was this? Was it some kind of salute? He wouldn't be drawn. "Hello, Dillon," he said, quietly. I'm Gahrye."
"Nice to meet you Gary."
"His name is Gah-ree," Kalle snapped. "And no, it isn't nice that he had to meet you, Dillon. I told you, we're done. Now, Gahrye and I," she put her hand up to pat his chest, "are working, so you'll have to excuse us—"
As she spoke, Kalle took a step towards the door. But Dillon reached for her, grabbing her elbow hard enough that she was stopped in her tracks and she made a little noise of irritation.
It was instinctive. A male had his hand on Gahrye's mate when she didn't wish it.
Gahrye flowed between them, using a simple turn and brace of his arm around the male's to break his grip and hold him in place so Kalle could move away.
"What—?" the male stammered as he tried to pull away and found himself caught. "Who the hell do you think you are, asshole?" The foolish man jerked, tried to pull out of Gahrye's grip, and almost broke his own arm fighting the lock Gahrye had on it. He made a strangled noise when Gahrye used the slightest pressure and Dillon's elbow tried to bend the wrong way. Dillon froze.
"You would hold a fem—woman against her will?" Gahrye growled, holding the male's eyes and daring him not to submit.
"This is fucking assault! Let me go!"
"Please, Gahrye, ignore him, I'm fine," Kalle said, though there was a twinkle in her eye when she looked at where Gahrye had Dillon's arm immobilized. Gahrye raised an eyebrow and she bit her lip, then shook her head. "Let him go," she breathed low enough that only Gahrye would hear.
Snorting the putrid air from his nose, Gahrye released the male, who immediately shoved his shoulder and took a dancing step back, shaking the arm that Gahrye had held. Gahrye didn't move, but stood ready and held the man's eyes and let him scent his resolve.
"If you wish to grab someone, try me," he said quietly.
"I'm calling the fucking Police," the guy spat.
"Oh, please, Dillon," Kalle rolled her eyes. "Nothing got hurt but your ego. Now leave, please, we're busy."
"You shouldn't be alone with this psycho, Kalle. Let me drive you home." He took a step towards her, but Gahrye slid between them and he scrambled back again. "Get away from me, asshole!"
Gahrye didn't move until he felt a soft hand at his back. "It's okay. "Let's go. He doesn't have keys. He won't be able to get in unless he rings the bell and I'll tell Grandma not to open it for him."
Gahrye huffed, but started to turn until the male muttered, "Fucking pussy whipped."
Gahrye didn't know what that meant—but it wasn't hard to imagine it wasn't a compliment. He turned to face Dillon, and Kalle sighed and grabbed his arm. But he didn't step into him. This colt was pathetically defenseless. There would be no honor in beating him to a pulp. Satisfaction, maybe. But no honor.
"I am not… that. But I am done with males who try to dominate the weak through brute strength, rather than strength of will," he said through his teeth.
"What the fuck are you talking about?!"
"Dillon, leave!" Kalle sighed, pulling Gahrye out of the way so she could step into him. "And if you come back here again, I'll tell my Grandmother why we broke up. Go!"
The male's face fell, but when he caught Gahrye staring, his jaw hardened and he lifted his chin again.
Gahrye almost rolled his eyes. Instead he let Kalle take his hand and lead him for the door, listening for the approaching steps of the male in case he thought to attack at Gahrye's back.
But he was too timid even for a cheap shot, apparently.
Kalle flipped her keys out and slid one into the lock, opened the door and shot a glare over her shoulder at the male, then stepped inside, beckoning Gahrye to follow.
*****
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