95- The Right Thing to Do

Quayleigh and Tau were cuddled next to each other in the back of a cab on their way home, when the phone in her jacket pocket began to ring and vibrate.

"I completely forgot I even had this with me," she remarked, pulling it out and checking the screen. "Good thing it didn't ring during the movie. It's Folsten, I should take this."

"Of course," Tau replied as she tapped on the screen with her thumb.

"Hello, Detective."

"Hey. I just called to let you know that I won't be coming to get you in the morning. You can either find your own way to the MET or skip the day. It's up to you."

"That's not a problem. Did something happen?" Quayleigh questioned curious as to the change of plans.

"Yeah, you could say that," Folsten replied. "I'm at the hospital with Harlowe. Kavak, he was attacked by that creature."

Quayleigh couldn't contain her shock. Turning and looking directly at Tau, she motioned for him to say nothing.

"Is he alive?"

"Yeah, for now. He's being prepared for surgery. Mazurka and Skye were with him when it happened. He's holding up, but Skye's not doing well. She's been sedated. I don't know anything else, but I'm going to stay here with Harlowe. We're probably going to be here overnight."

"Yeah, hey, no worries. Shuttling me around is in no way a priority. Do what you need to do and take care of everyone. Thanks for letting me know though."

"Figured it was better if you heard it from me. I know your boyfriend and Yechiel are friends. I was hoping you could let him know for me. I don't know much about Yechiel, but Harlowe told me not to contact his family and Dylan was the only person he could think of, but we don't know his number."

"Which hospital are you at?"

"Freetier's VSM."

"Thanks, Folsten. I'll pass along the information. Take care of yourself."

"You too."

Quayleigh hung up the phone and grabbed tight to Tau's hand.

"We have a problem," she stated before leaning closer to him, whispering in his ear. "Uru attacked Kavak. He's in the hospital and Yechiel saw it happen."

"He will live," Tau told her as his phone chimed.

"I suppose, but he's going into surgery shortly," she told him as he pulled out his phone. 

"It's from Yechiel," he said, turning the phone so she could read the message he had sent.

It basically explained the same thing that Folsten had just told to her, followed by a statement that said, Harlowe ordered him to contact someone, and since Dylan already knew about the Karakaram, he was the only one he could reach out to.

"And with that, plans change, again. Aren't you glad we managed to get a movie in?" She sighed. "I don't mean to sound so petty, but it would be nice if we could go one night without a crisis. Yechiel's bound to be released from the hospital before too long, and I don't think it's a good idea for him to be alone."

"He has Harlowe and Folsten with him."

"True, but Folsten said they were planning on staying at the hospital because of Kavak and Skye. They are bound to send Yechiel home at some point. Text him back. Tell him that we're on our way, and that we'll be about a half hour. We'll stay at your condo tonight. He should feel safer, and we can still sleep comfortably. It also saves me from having to take a cab all the way to the MET in the morning."

Tau reached up and ran his hand over the top of her head, pulling her forward and kissing her brow.

"You have such a big heart, love. Giving up another night for a man you barely like."

"He's not so bad. He just finds himself in bad situations. Way too often. However, this isn't his fault, and clearly, he reached out to you because he needs a friend that he can talk to."

"Are you certain?"

"Yeah. I mean, what's one more night? At least this way, we not only have our own room, but we get to sleep in that massive king size bed. Once we get home, I'll run in and pack a quick overnight bag and then we can head to the hospital and pick him up."

Tau texted Yechiel back as Quayleigh spoke to the driver through the glass. When they arrived at the building, Quayleigh bolted inside and quickly packed an overnight bag, being certain to grab an extra toothbrush for Yechiel, her pills, a special canister of tea from the cupboard, and the milk from the fridge.

With her bag safely stored in the trunk, and the jug of milk between them, Tau informed her that they were heading to the Condo first, as Yechiel had replied saying that he was going to catch his own cab and meet them there, since he wasn't sure when he was going to be released.

When they arrived at the condo, Tau took her bag up to the master bedroom, while she put the tea and milk away. Her phone chiming as she was headed up the stairs to join him.

"Harlowe just texted. He says, 'Just tossed the Kid in a taxi. Reply when he arrives.' He really is a man of few words," she remarked, tossing the phone on to the bed, as Tau cleared out one of the drawers in his dresser for her. "You really don't need to do that."

"I don't?" he questioned, opening up her bag. "I thought it was only right that you had at least one drawer for your belongings. Would you prefer a different one?"

"No, that one's perfect. It's just that it's strange, being here. I mean, I know it's technically all yours, but it still feels like we're… I don't know, trespassing. You may be in Dylan's body, and this may all be Dylan's stuff, but it just doesn't feel like it's yours. It's hard for me to get my head around sometimes."

"I know what you mean, but this is the best option. For the night and for everyone involved."

"Do you believe him though?"

"I don't understand what you're asking," Tau replied as took their toothbrushes and put them in the bathroom.

"I'm asking if you think Uru's really responsible for this. Do you think he actually attacked Kavak?"

"I must. There is no other explanation and given your willingness to let Yechiel stay with us tonight, I know you believe him too."

"Yeah, I was just hoping you could tell me otherwise. Any idea why Uru would have done such a thing?"

Tau sat on the bed next to her. "I wish I could have, and I wish I could offer you an explanation, but I have no idea why he would have done this."

"Where is he now?"

Closing his eyes for a moment he looked towards the west.

"He's somewhere near the downtown. I can summon him here if you like."

"Please do. I'd like to hear his side of this before Yechiel arrives, but let's go downstairs first. I want to put the kettle on and make us some tea."

Making their way downstairs, Tau settled himself on the couch and Uru appeared before him, while Quayleigh filled the kettle with water and set it onto the stove top to heat.

"Did you attack Detective Kavak tonight?" Tau asked Uroxuz directly.

"Yes," he didn't hesitate to reply. "I marred the Tuhané. Poisoned fruit of the poisoned tree. It is our right."

"I understand," Tau stated as Quayleigh came to join him on the couch.

"You understand?" she wondered, looking at Tau.

"Yes."

"Then would one of you care to explain it to me because I don't, and until I do, I'm going to continue to think that you shouldn't go around hurting people, Uru. Especially people we know."

"It seems that Kavak still follows the failed god," Tau told her.

"So?"

"He caused you harm. I have defended your honor," Uru replied as he lowered his head taking on a posture that was somewhere between defensive and hurt, as if he had didn't understand why she was upset with him.

"Quayleigh, the Tuhané god, Baandahg is not on good terms with Death, and his followers, although unusual to pass through my district, aren't exactly spared any indignity."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means, they are sent straight into oblivion. Nothing of them can be returned to the river, so they are never given a final cleansing. When Kavak upset you last night, Uroxuz took it as a slight against us both. I told him, at the time, to do Kavak no harm."

"Ah, so this is a matter between gods," she reasoned before turning her attention to Uroxuz. "A matter that you dragged others into. Kavak wasn't alone in that room, Uru. Yechiel and Skye were both affected by what you did."

"Is retribution. They made you suffer."

"Be that as it may, you acted without permission, Uroxuz. And your actions, regardless of the intent, have consequences," Tau stated as the kettle began to whistle.

"I understand that you thought you were defending my honor," she remarked, making her way back into the kitchen, and removing the kettle from the stove top. "But it doesn't make what you did right."

"Uroxuz, as punishment for your disobedience…" Tau began to speak.

"I did not disobey. Today is not then. I broke no command. The Tuhané will live!" Uroxuz defended himself vehemently, thrashing his tail, and shifting around, appearing to be distressed.

"Stop!" Tau commanded, as he stood holding his hand out towards him.

Uroxuz ceased his actions immediately and lowered his head.

"I told you to not harm the Tuhané. Clearly, I failed to express the full meaning of that order, but that is not what you are being punished for. Your actions brought harm to Yechiel."

"And Skye," Quayleigh added from the kitchen. "Who you met earlier today, when she apologized."

"And these things cannot be ignored," Tau continued. "As punishment, you will spend the night alone in our home. We are going to be spending the night here, tending to Yechiel."

"But first, you will atone for harming Yechiel. You will make the tea that is going to help Yechiel sleep through the night," Quayleigh said as she motioned for him to join her.

Uroxuz seemed perplexed by what had just happened and obediently slithered across the room and into the kitchen.

"You are upset," he remarked, having sniffed at the air.

"Of course, I'm upset. Tau and I had plans for tonight and now, because of your actions, we've had to cancel them," she explained causing Uroxuz to slink back from her, his head cocked in such a way that he appeared more confused than anything else. "Look, I'm not angry with you. It's actually kind of sweet that you wanted to defend our honor, but you need to understand what happened yesterday. When you take someone's soul from them, you're just doing your job, right?"

"Yes," Uroxuz replied as Quayleigh watched Tau sit down on the couch a soft smile lingering on his face.

"Well, Kavak, Skye, and Yechiel, they were just doing their jobs and I just happened to be collateral damage in their pursuit of justice. They never set out to hurt me, Uru. There are nuances to things that happen in this world, and sometimes they are going to be confusing for you or hard to understand, and I get that. So, next time, I want you to come and speak with one of us before you act. That way, you can get a better understanding of the situation and avoid making mistakes like this. Does that sound reasonable to you?"

"Yes," he replied as he looked at the floor.

"Good, now come here and give me a hug."

Uroxuz perked up as she held her arms out and rushed towards her. She could hear a faint purr as he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her chest while she rubbed at his cheeks and under his chin.

"I know you thought you were doing the right thing, and from your perspective, you weren't wrong. I just really need you to be more careful and considerate of your actions going forward. Okay?"

Uroxuz nodded as he shifted back from her.

"Good, now could you take a look up in the cupboards for the tea pot? It's like this kitchen was built for giants. I'm too short to see anything up there."

Uroxuz extended himself upwards to take a closer look, and easily found the teapot at the back of the cupboard above the fridge. Carefully retrieving it, he set it on the counter for her, and she instructed him on how to prepare the tea from the canister she had brought from home.

Once the pot was brewing, she had him arrange the rest of the tea set onto a tray while she sat next to Tau on the couch.

"That looks great Uru. Well done," she told him as he carried the tray into the living room and set it onto the coffee table. "Now, Yechiel is bound to be here any minute. Tau, you should probably go downstairs and wait for him. I doubt he's going to be in any shape to find his way up here on his own. And while you do that, Uru and I are going to go upstairs and fix up the spare room for him. Once we're finished, Uru, you are to go directly home and stay there. I'm going to be heading to the MET tomorrow as planned and will have Tau summon you before I leave."

"I understand," Uroxuz replied as she scratched him under the chin.

"I'm glad to hear that," Tau remarked patting him on the top of the head as he stood up and headed towards the door. "I'll be back with Yechiel in a few minutes."

"Let's go take care of that room," she told Uroxuz before taking his hand and showing him the way to the spare room.

She had Uroxuz help her make up the bed with fresh sheets, and as he straightened out the duvet, she checked the toiletries in the bathroom, and changed out the towels, handing the previous to Uroxuz so he could give the entire bathroom a quick cleaning, while she looked through the drawers of the dresser in the room. Much to her astonishment, she found unopened packages of socks, boxers, and undershirts, pajamas, pants, t-shirts, tank-tops, and even a couple of sweaters, with the tags still attached, each in a variety of sizes.

"Must really be nice being rich enough to afford a fully stocked dresser of cloths for your guests," she remarked subconsciously rolling her eyes when she came across the drawer of women's undergarments. "Mental note, these belong to me now," she stated before grabbing everything in her size and taking them to the master bedroom to add to the drawer Tau had clear out for her earlier.

"I'm finished," Uroxuz said as she returned to the spare room to find him standing next to the bed, the used towels in hand.

"Excellent. Thank you for your help, Uru," she remarked, taking the towels from him. "Okay, it's time for you to head back to the apartment. And no TV. You're to go straight to bed. I happen to know of a certain pillow and blanket that are waiting for you."

"I can keep them?"

"Of course, you can," she replied before leaning down and kissing his nose. "Uru, we aren't going to take them away from you. At least not over this, and if we ever do, it would only be temporary. They belong to you, and until you decide otherwise, that won't change."

"Thank you," Uroxuz nodded and appeared to be relieved by what she had said as he leaned forward and pressed his head into her chest once again.

"Alright, go and get some rest. We'll see you in the morning."

Uroxuz nodded his head and disappeared into his dimension before she turned and headed out the door to the room. Making her way downstairs, she put the dirty towels into the laundry room and started the wash, when she heard the door to the condo close. Stepping out into the living room, she found Yechiel standing in the entryway, dressed in blue hospital scrubs, his jacket on one arm and hanging over his other shoulder. Pulling it tighter, his knuckles had turned white as they strained against the fabric. Yechiel was a man disturbed; traumatized by an experience he couldn't comprehend and broken by the weight of it.