Bullies: When Will It Be Over? (1/3)

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 25th October 2006

Characters: Nyblek, Keles
Description: Nyblek's fighting finally catches up with him
Location: Smith Hall (NPC)
Date: month 13, day 27 of Turn 3

**Just a little further,** Nyblek told himself as he held his ribs with one hand and wiped tears, or perhaps it was blood, from his eyes. He could make out a light up ahead. The apprentice had walked this path a hundred times. He could do it with his eyes closed, which was useful this night. They were already swollen to the point he could barely see.
As if he could see anything in this blackness to start with. And he felt so sharding dizzy. Dizzy, sore, humiliated...

He was sure there was some kind of compliment in there somewhere. The boys obviously hadn't felt they could take him on alone. Why else would they have ganged up on him like that? Why else would they have held his arms and not even given him a whisper of a chance? There had to be some kind of homage in that, and yet he couldn't find it. He felt too much pain, shame, and fear to take any delight in it. What was there to be proud of? He had taken the beating of his life, and all he wanted was to bury himself somewhere safe. Somewhere they couldn't hurt him anymore, for every creek of a branch, every imagined snap of a twig, was another boy coming up behind to start in on him again.

His feet carried him along quickly and blindly. Nyblek's only goal was that light. The warm glow promised safety and comfort. His foot caught on a raised cobblestone and he stumbled to the ground painfully, scraping knees and the palms of his hands, gosseling his bruised ribs. He almost gave in and curled in on himself to bawl from the pain and the panic that was building inside him. **Keep going! They'll hear you!** With a half groan, half sob he stood to his feet. They carried him faster along the cobble stones towards the cot, towards home, little whimpers of fear escaping him with each breath. His eyes were so full of blood and tears, he could no longer see.

Tripping on the steps up to the cot he all but screamed his sister's name. "Keles! _Keles_!"

With her heart in her mouth, Keles flung herself off the sofa, a whirlwind of blankets and pillows falling in her wake as she bolted towards the door. That was Nyblek! "Ny! What--" Her words caught in her throat and her eyes filled with tears at the sight of her baby brother in such a gruesome state. "Oh _Ny_..." Her arms were around him, pressing him tightly against her.

"Please! I need... to get... inside," the comforting touch finally brought forth the sobs he had been trying so hard to stop. They were tears of pain, of shame, and relief, all built up and finally starting to spill over. The fact that he just wanted to hide in his sister's arms and cry like a child just made the shame worse, but he didn't care as long as he could feel safe again.

"Come on," she crooned softly, leading him inside and directly to the bathing room. Then she sat them both down on the bench and took a warm, damp cloth and pressed it to the back of his neck. His face was still buried against her shoulder, but she could feel his tears--his blood--soaking into her shirt. Keles kept up her gentle litany of soothing nothings, holding him and waiting for his sobs to subside.

Nyblek ignored the pain in his sides as he wrapped his arms around his sister and finally allowed himself to weep like a child, for that was what he was at that moment. It was so easy for people to forget that the apprentice whose body was as big as a man's still had the heart of a boy, and he had never in his life been as frightened as he was that night. "They...
held my arms... I... couldn't fight back..."

Keles squeezed her eyes shut, a lump growing in her throat. This was her baby brother... "It's all right now, Ny..." she whispered. "It's okay. They can't get you here... Never here."

"I... don't even know... _why_..." That was even more frightening. He didn't know why. Or who. It could have been anyone. They could do it again...

"They're bullies," she snarled softly, grasping him protectively to her.
"They don't have reasons." Taking the cloth, she gently wiped at his face, her touch very soft indeed compared to the hard expression masking her face.

Nyblek tried to get himself under control. "Famish tried... to attack them but... he is still... so small..." Think of his brave little flit just brought a new round of sobs. "I was afraid... they'd hurt him...
so I sent him away... and now I can't... find him..."

"He'll come back, Ny. Famish always comes back to you..." If she _ever_ found out who those scorched bullies were... No. She _would_
find out. Gently she wiped his chin, moving on up to his other eye.
"He'll come back."

A new wave of dizziness washed over him as he tipped his head back and whether it was from the inertia or his fear for his flit, his weeping, or perhaps all three, he felt a sudden nausea. "Keles, I'm gonna be sick."

Shards. Thrusting her hand out, she grabbed the nearest thing available--a pail? How did a pail get in here? Maybe it was her husband. "Here, Ny..."

"Please don't make me go back out there," he pleaded, his head over the bucket. The apprentice was sure he needed to go to the infirmary, but the idea of going back out into the black night frightened him to the point that he could hold back no longer and he wretched painfully, holding the bucket in one arm and his ribs in the other. Just when would this night be over?

Last updated on the October 30th 2006

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Bullies: When Will It Be Over? (1/3)