Chapter 52: Rebuilding Bridges.
Timothy felt his hands shaking badly as he sat in the comfortable chair that Gregory and Runs had put him in, he was holding the hot steaming cup that Runs had handed him that he believed to be tea.
"Come, drink tea Timothy, is special tea that my people make, me's bring both supplies to make and knowledge to make more if me's find herbs on travels, will calm nerves and make Timothy strong of heart, trust me, me's drank many cups before me's had wedding night with Riss, made me's strong enough to make beautiful wife happy and if can make me's strong enough to please incredible woman like her then must be good right?" Runs said with a warm smile on his face that surprisingly made Tim's nerves steel slightly.
"Oh trust me Tim that's good stuff right there, I drank a cup of it once and I think I scared my Ven when I just marched right to our room and jumped on him, even now I still think that big beautiful claw boy still can't believe that I love and want him as much as I do and oddly I find it wonderful," Gregory said with a slight chuckle.
"I-I-I'm not all that surprised, I doubt any claw expects a little human to jump on them with the thought of having their way with them really" Timothy stammered and with a slightly nervous chuckle as he desperately tried to join in the conversation, he was still feeling fucking awful at how easily he'd not only been beaten down by Faith but at how scared he'd been by both her and Shauna's actions, wasn't he supposed to be a man?
Both Gregory and Runs both chuckled and nodded, "True enough the look on Visa's face when Seven used his Telekinis to throw her over his shoulder and carry her off once after she dared him too was priceless, though the by the noises coming from their room, later on, I'm pretty sure she'll be hoping it happens more often" Gregory chuckled.
"Umm, guys c-c-can I ask you something?" Tim asked after he took off the surprisingly delicious sweet herbal tea and felt a slight rush of both blood and confidence throughout his body.
"Of course," Gregory said gesturing for his hand for him to go ahead.
"Ask any question of me" Runs said making the same gesture.
"D-Do you ever get scared by how strong the non-humans in this group are o-o-or you know by the one you love?" he asked and both of them looked surprised at first but then both of their faces morphed into expressions of understanding and empathy.
"Listen Tim I'm not going to do you the disservice of diminishing what has happened to you in any way, that was a horrible, vile and truly awful that no one should have to go through and I'll be blunt and honest here, yes when I first met Ven I was terrified by him, though to be fair every single Claw I had ever encountered before had tried to kill me and to be fair he is an apex predator, but the more time I spent around him the more I realised how truly beautiful he is and I know that sounds strange but just like the example Seven sets I simply don't care who knows that I love that beautiful man, I fully understand that my and indeed our way of life is not to everyone's tastes and that is fine, hell if all humans stop loving other humans then pretty soon there will be no humans left for the human-loving non-humans to love now will there? But in answer to your questions yes I was scared of him at first but I overcame it and after that, it affected how I saw all non-humans as I realised that the sentient ones are just people too, just like me, no different inside just on the outside, once you understand them you cease being truly afraid, knowledge defeats ignorance and fear" Gregory said.
Runs was nodding in agreement, then when Gregory finished he spoke up, "I's agrees, when I's first sees my Riss me's was scared but me's did think she's was a spirit though now me just thinks she's a goddess, my goddess, she is big, she is strong, she is dominant in hers ways, but she is also loving, she is beautiful, she is kind and she is gentle at least where I's is concerned, I's loves her with every fibre of my's being, me's now cannot think of a life without her in it, me's could not even think about being in the arms of human woman as they would not compare to her, they would not have the super soft fur that me's loves to snuggle into, the glass smooth scales that me loves to stroke, the arms filled with strength that wrap around me and hold me tightly and possesivly as if I's is her bestest treasure, me's could not think of any other woman now" Runs said proudly and Tim could have sworn he heard a little almost happy sounding noise from the corner of the room but when he glanced there was nothing there.
"B-B-But do you ever get scared that they will hurt you?" Tim asked softly and the pair looked at him gently.
"Not anymore, but that doesn't go for all non-humans just as it wouldn't for all humans, I've simply learned to use my experience to judge someone on their actions, not their species and please do not take that as any form of excuse for what happened to you, both of them were way out of line with what they did, never should you have to put up with either the threat of violence or actual violence from those that are supposed to care about you and to look after you, both are being dealt with by Seven because believe when I say this group does not tolerate that shit one little bit and if there is one thing I have learned since being among these good people it's that you don't fuck with Seven unless your name is Visa and you're a giant claw girl, dude is as scary as it gets when he gets angry, when he heard what happened to you he came out swinging," Gregory said proudly.
Timothy felt a massive twinge of guilt in his heart though not because of Faith, honestly after what she had done to him a part of him actually hoped that Seven had put her down, no he felt guilty because of Shauna, despite her outburst and how badly she'd scared him when he'd thought she was going to strike him the fact that she had not actually meant a lot to him, she'd managed to get control of herself and had reigned in her temper at the right moment to protect him from it, so if she'd been hurt because of that he'd feel bad, despite what had happened he surprisingly enough still found himself caring for the female super mutant scientist.
"H-H-He didn't hurt Shauna did he?" he asked in a soft voice and Gregory looked at him curiously before shaking his head.
"Nope but Shauna sure did, she put Faith down hard, granted she's got that high speed regeneration trick on her side but I doubt even she'd have survived what Shauna was going to do to her if Seven hadn't stepped in and put a stop to it, besides he really doesn't need to hurt anyone to get his point across, that man is like no other i've ever met, he can make you feel powerless and helpless or strong enough to carry the world with nothing more than a single word or glance, because there is just something incredibly powerful about knowing you have someone like him backing you up, I mean think about it the man has the power to simply end anything or anyone he choses with nothing more than a single unleashed thought, but he doesn't because he believes in people, he genuinely believes that that power he has is a gift to help people not to oppress them, that man is a fucking symbol of what we can all be if only we try, so no he didn't hurt them either of them, but I can tell you right now if Faith had and God forbid on this killed you then she'd have learned the hard way why you do not cross him, the man is like a vengeful god, you didn't see what he did to the slavers in paradise falls, he fucking leveled them and the place with that power of his, hell people started calling him the Dark Angel after what he did, so no he didn't hurt them, he simply restrained them and locked them up, he's laid down the law to them both and trust me when I say if either of them set a single toe out of line they will find out that he is a man of his word, they'll be gone faster then they can blink, than man's first priority is to this group, well to the woman he loves really but she's a part of that really, he protects us will all that he is and has, that now includes you Timothy, while here you are protected, plus he wouldn't hurt her for protecting you," Gregory said.
Timothy was very glad that Shauna hadn't been hurt, he was still angry with her but he didn't want her hurt and in a way, he was actually thankful and proud of her for standing up for him when she'd seen what Faith had done to him, he nodded in agreement and flinched lightly when Gregory gently laid a hand on his shoulder which caused the young man to falter and withdraw his hand for a moment though the look in his eyes showed that he was now asking for permission to touch him which he nodded his consent to.
