Familiarity
Luckily the trio made it back just in time fore the evening meal. Unusually the whole community took their dinner in a huge hut that served as a dining hall.
As soon as they entered, Stranger and Bailey were pounced upon and enthusiastically led to their seats, near the head on the ridiculously long table at which sat every single Grubb in the village.
Bailey and Stranger exchanged a raised eyebrow look, both, completely overwhelmed by the way the Grubbs treated them. After what they had been through, practically hated and/or hunted by everyone this was a sudden turnabout.
Bailey found herself sitting next to Jolee and across from Stranger.
“’Ello Bailey.” Whispered Jolee,
“Joey? Whadda ya doin’ up here, why ain’t yer with her Mama?”
“I was asked to sit up here and answer any questions you might have.” Jolee beamed,
“Well I can think of no-one better to be ma guide.” Bailey grinned, Jolee looked delighted.
Their conversation was cut short when the food was brought in by a band of Grubbs, all holding large trays between them. Jolee explained that everyone was on the dinner serving rota so that everyone did a fair share of work. In the Grubb community everyone worked together, everyone contributed by using their skills.
When all the meal had been distributed and everyone had sat down and started eating, Bailey picked up the odd eating utensils and gave them a look.
“Great.” She muttered, “Another way to eat food I have ter learn.” Jolee giggled,
“You’re holding it upside down.” She grinned. Bailey put on an expression that made Jolee laugh. “Here, like this.” She showed Bailey how to hold the utensil and how to use. It took a while, but Bailey managed it eventually and proceeded to eat her dinner with great abandon. Across the table Stranger smirked and shook his head, chuckling silently. He doubted there was nothing on Oddworld that could diminish that girl’s appetite…except if she knew what she was actually eating…
After dinner had been eaten and cleared away, the Grubbs began going outside into the star spattered night.
“Whadda they doin’?” Bailey asked Jolee,
“Didn’t ya know? There’s gonna be a celebration.”
“Why?” Bailey asked, completely flummoxed.
“The Steef’s return, why else?” Jolee laughed.
“Oh…”
“C’mon Bailey, they’ll be bonfires and these dudey liddle sparklers. It’ll be fun.”
“Actually, I’m a bit full, maybe I’ll just-”
“Oh no, yer don’t,” said Jolee, “C’mon.” and she dragged Bailey from the mess hall and outside where fires were springing up in the darkness adding their light to the little flickers of the Zappflies dancing in the evening. The Grubbs were dancing and singing and celebrating the arrival of Stranger. Once they were outside Jolee left Bailey and scampered off to join her own friends, chattering excitedly. Bailey broke into a grin as Stranger came up beside her, she poked his stomach gently. He looked down at her. She grinned widely,
“So, hows it feel ter be a celebrity?” she asked, Stranger swatted at her lightly.
“Whelp.” He muttered.
“Aww, yer love me really.” Bailey grinned. Stranger froze. Just then Jolee came running back up to Bailey,
“C’mon Bailey!” she grinned and grabbing her hand she practically dragged the human towards the celebrations. Stranger sat down and watched fondly as Bailey was surrounded by younger Grubbs next to one of the bonfires. Stranger saw Bailey laughing with them, she was soon caught in a circle of dancing and whirled around with them. Looking younger and as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
“You love her do you not?” said a cracked, old voice. Stranger looked round, the old Grubb sat down beside the considerably bigger Steef. Stranger looked back towards Bailey, the young Grubbs had sat her down and were painting her face with the green paint they used on warriors. There was a moment of silence.
“Yes…” he finally murmured. “More ‘n’ anythin’ else in this world. Like she was my own kid…she
is my kid…”
“You should tell her. It’s obvious she adores you. Every time she looks at you, every time she speaks to you or about you, every move she makes, says how much she loves you. You’re like her parent.” Stranger shook his head,
“No, I’m part of her family, yes, but no more, or less, then her other family she left behind.”
“Ah, the Mudokon and Slig?” Stranger nodded.
“She sees them as her brothers and she is a sister to them. But you, you are the closest thing she has to a parent, a guardian. She needs you.”
“I need her too…” Stranger muttered. The Grubb made to leave but Stranger put out a hand. “What happened to ‘er, when she was among the graves, she seemed to become weaker…why?”
“Speaking to the dead takes a lot of energy and to hear them one needs to become closer to them.” Stranger’s eyes glowed angrily.
“D’you mean that they were
killin’ her.” The old Grubb didn’t answer for a moment,
“No more then her own misery is.” Stranger jerked.
“What…did you say?” he said in a low growl.
“Bailey is miserable, you must have noticed that from time to time she becomes depressed for no apparent reason?” Stranger nodded sharply. “She knows that eventually, she will have to leave you and return to Abe and Slick, but she doesn’t want to. But she can’t in good conscience leave them. She has a good heart, but she is torn. Her love for both you and her other family is tearing her apart and it is slowly killing her.” There was a pensive silence. “You should tell her.” The old Grubb said again, “Before it’s too late…” The Grubb left Stranger to his thoughts.
Bailey laughed along with the young Grubbs as they danced around, Bailey on the outskirt; clapping in time to the music, watching as they wove in and out, trailing threads of coloured light with their sparklers, the green symbols they painted across her eyes and cheeks glowing in the firelight.
“Enjoyin’ yerself kid?” Bailey whipped around, she grinned hugely when she saw who it was.
“Howdy Stranger!” she said cheerfully. Stranger could clearly see the green circles, like bullzeyes on her cheeks, the lines going across her eyes and three dots that went across her forehead. Stranger smiled, vaguely sad. Bailey tilted her head to one side, not understanding, Stranger touched her cheek with his fingers. Bailey took hold of his hand, “…Stranger?…What’s wrong?” Stranger gazed at the human and then looked down.
“Nothin’.” Bailey put her arms around Stranger’s middle and hugged him. Something stabbed at Stranger’s heart and he returned the hug holding Bailey tight and close. There’d be another time to tell her how much he cared, but not now. Not now.
Bailey pulled away and Stranger saw a devilish gleam in her eyes.
“Okay, whadda ya plannin’?” Stranger asked, smiling slightly, Bailey grabbed his hand and pulled the Steef over to the Grubbs.
“He ain’t got any paint!” she exclaimed. The young Grubbs giggled at Stranger’s expression,
“Oh no!” he said, “No way!” Bailey gave him a pleading, puppy-dog look. Stranger sighed and sat down. “Fine, fine.” He grunted. The young Grubbs cheered and fell on the Steef, armed with wooden bowls of green pigment. Bailey sat and looked on laughing as they drew three lines on both of Stranger’s furry cheeks and a band of green across his nose. Stranger turned to Bailey, “How d’I look?” he asked, grinning playfully. Bailey threw her arms around Stranger’s neck and gave him a squeeze.
“Brilliant.” She whispered. Pressing her cheek to his. “C’mon!” she grinned and pulled Stranger up, dragging him into the festivities.
¤§¤
It was late. Everyone had gone to bed and was sleeping peacefully. All except Bailey… In the quarters she’d been given Bailey slept fitfully, tossing and turning in the small bed, in the grip of nightmares.
With a jerk she woke up and sat bolt upright, gasping and sweating.
She covered her face with her hands and flopped back on the bed. With a sigh she stared at the ceiling. She knew that she wouldn’t sleep again tonight. Bailey got out of bed and pulled a woollen jersey and loose pants from the pile of neatly folded clothes. The Grubbs had somehow managed to clean her old clothes and supply her with a few other things in a few hours. Bailey pulled the jumper and pants over the nightgown she was wearing and pulled on her sneakers.
A few minutes later Bailey had clambered down the ladder from her own little hut and was wandering along the riverbank by the Grubb village.
Eventually Bailey stopped and with a sigh she dropped down on the bank and sitting, cross-legged, chin propped on her hands with elbows on knees, she stared out on the dead river and heaved a sigh.
“Couldn’t sleep squirt?” Bailey looked over her shoulder, Stranger was standing there, his green eyes glowing gently.
“Hey Stranger.” Bailey muttered and patted the ground beside her. Stranger came and sat down. “You couldn’t sleep either?”
“No…too much ter think about…” he muttered.
“Yeh…” Bailey shivered. Stranger looked over at her, he opened his arms and beckoned,
“C’mere.” Bailey moved closer to the Steef and Stranger took her into his arms. Bailey cuddled up closer to him and leaned her head on his warm, furry chest. “So why can’t yer sleep lil’ one?” he asked softly, stroking her back.
“Bad dreams…” Bailey muttered. Stranger made a sympathetic sound.
“What kinda bad dreams?” he asked, keeping his voice low and soothing, still stroking.
“Hrm…Steef…I dreamed about Steef…and what Sekto did to ‘em…” Stranger stroked her hair and touched her cheek.
“…A-see…” he murmured. Bailey curled some of Stranger’s fur around her finger. “Bailey?”
“Uhm?”
“All the time yer’ve known I was a Steef…yer ain’t never asked why I wasn’t with any others…”
“You told the old Grubb Seer that that was your business. An’ I didn’t want ta poke my nose in…”
“…I want ter tell yer…” Stranger said softly, there was a pause and then he told her. He told the human how he couldn’t remember his childhood, all he remembered was that he had been alone and hated by every creature he’d come across. He told her about disguising himself and when he found out that the Doc could ‘fix’ his problem he’d become a bounty hunter. Stranger told her all the things he’d done, to himself and to others… “I’m not proud of what I’ve had to do, before I met yer kid…and I wasn’t too keen on tellin’ yer…”
“Oh Stranger…” muttered Bailey, “You really are a dork sometimes… Nothin’ you could do would make me hate you if that’s what you think. Nothing.” Stranger made a contented growling sound. There was a comfortable silence.
“Right, off ter bed with yer.” Stranger said after a while, standing up and setting Bailey on her feet. Bailey nodded, she stood up on tip-toe and tugged gently at the fur on his jaw. Stranger lowered his head to her level. Bailey put her arms around his neck and rubbed her cheek against his jaw.
“Night Stranger.” She whispered and kissed his cheek before letting him go and heading back to her own bed, leaving a stunned Stranger behind.
¤§¤
Back in her hut on it’s woven platform Bailey found that she still couldn’t sleep. She had the vague feeling that something was missing. She listened intently to the nighttime sounds. Only the soft chirruping and rough scratching of the insects in the grass reached her ears.
It was quiet…
Too quiet…
That was it. That was what she was missing… Stranger’s snoring…she couldn’t hear it…she missed it… Well she didn’t miss the rusty chainsaw, but she missed Stranger’s comforting presence, she missed being near him. Missed him being close. Bailey got out of bed again.
“This, is nuts.” She muttered, but she grinned and scrambled down the ladder from her hut and made her way over to where she knew Stranger had been quartered.
On a ground level hut…
Bailey smiled. She reached the bead-curtained entrance and parted it quietly, peeping inside. Stranger was zonked out on the floor, the bed pushed up against one wall, Bailey giggled. Apparently Stranger didn’t like beds…he was curled up on the floor, Steef legs curled up beneath him and lounging on his stomach, head on his arms, snoring away like a engine with a hole in it.
“Awww, he looks so cute…” Bailey thought, grinning and restraining a laugh. The comforting feeling of familiarity calmed Bailey and she crept up to Stranger and curled up next to him, as they had done when they were in the wilds.
Soothed by Stranger’s snores Bailey soon drifted off to sleep.