Arefu Revisited
Aug. 2nd, 2009 03:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aaaaaaaagh_sky"There she is!" Evan King called out as Ellen trudged back up the ramp to Arefu. "The hero of the day!"
"Please," Ellen said wearily, "don't call me that."
King laughed. "Anyone who could survive talking to those Family weirdos deserves it."
Ellen's eyes narrowed. "About that," she said. "We need to talk. Privately. It'll be safe- get Karen Schenzy on guard duty for the moment or something."
"Huh? Well, all right..."
Once they were inside Evan King's house, Ellen took a deep breath. "I've spoken to Ian," she said. "He's staying with the Family."
King's eyes bulged. "What? But they-"
"No." Ellen cut him off flatly. "They didn't. He did."
King stared at her in dumbstruck silence.
"The Brahmin were their doing, and they're sorry for that. They're prepared to make reparations and send someone on a rotating basis to guard the town. But the Wests aren't their fault, they're Ian's."
King shook his head slowly. "I... don't know what to say," he murmured, staring into space. "You know, I always wondered if there wasn't something going on with that boy..."
"He's worse off than Mrs. Ewers," Ellen said sternly. "At least she's got a husband to help her. Ian's got demons he can't handle on his own, and Arefu can't handle them either."
"Demons?"
"Metaphor." Ellen grimaced. "Sorry. I was trained to be a chaplain once. I mean he has problems too terrible for people who aren't trained to handle."
"His sister's still alive, isn't she? Maybe she can-"
"Mr. King." Ellen grabbed the man by both shoulders, suddenly too irritated to be polite. "No one should be forced to try and handle something like this if they don't know how. Sister or no, if you bring him back here, either he'll lose it again, or someone will find out what he did to his parents. Either way, it will end up with somebody dead."
King glanced at Ellen's hands; she let go and stepped back. "Sorry. Lost my-" patience with you "-temper for a moment... anyway, I've spoken to the Family's leader, and he promises that there'll be letters from Ian regularly. At least until he's ready to actually come to Arefu and see everybody again."
King nodded slowly. "I guess that's better than nothing," he said.
"It's the best you're going to get. I wish there were some other way."
"You're absolutely sure there's nothing we can do to help Ian?"
"That depends on how much medical equipment you can get your hands on. Specifically, syringes and pre-war blood bags."
"Go on. I'm listening."
"Please," Ellen said wearily, "don't call me that."
King laughed. "Anyone who could survive talking to those Family weirdos deserves it."
Ellen's eyes narrowed. "About that," she said. "We need to talk. Privately. It'll be safe- get Karen Schenzy on guard duty for the moment or something."
"Huh? Well, all right..."
Once they were inside Evan King's house, Ellen took a deep breath. "I've spoken to Ian," she said. "He's staying with the Family."
King's eyes bulged. "What? But they-"
"No." Ellen cut him off flatly. "They didn't. He did."
King stared at her in dumbstruck silence.
"The Brahmin were their doing, and they're sorry for that. They're prepared to make reparations and send someone on a rotating basis to guard the town. But the Wests aren't their fault, they're Ian's."
King shook his head slowly. "I... don't know what to say," he murmured, staring into space. "You know, I always wondered if there wasn't something going on with that boy..."
"He's worse off than Mrs. Ewers," Ellen said sternly. "At least she's got a husband to help her. Ian's got demons he can't handle on his own, and Arefu can't handle them either."
"Demons?"
"Metaphor." Ellen grimaced. "Sorry. I was trained to be a chaplain once. I mean he has problems too terrible for people who aren't trained to handle."
"His sister's still alive, isn't she? Maybe she can-"
"Mr. King." Ellen grabbed the man by both shoulders, suddenly too irritated to be polite. "No one should be forced to try and handle something like this if they don't know how. Sister or no, if you bring him back here, either he'll lose it again, or someone will find out what he did to his parents. Either way, it will end up with somebody dead."
King glanced at Ellen's hands; she let go and stepped back. "Sorry. Lost my-" patience with you "-temper for a moment... anyway, I've spoken to the Family's leader, and he promises that there'll be letters from Ian regularly. At least until he's ready to actually come to Arefu and see everybody again."
King nodded slowly. "I guess that's better than nothing," he said.
"It's the best you're going to get. I wish there were some other way."
"You're absolutely sure there's nothing we can do to help Ian?"
"That depends on how much medical equipment you can get your hands on. Specifically, syringes and pre-war blood bags."
"Go on. I'm listening."