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"This is a waste of time Marja. Even if they did find his counterpart on this urth place...He's not going to be a fighter. I've seen their world in the looking pools, they are lazy people, living in a daydream while everything blows up around them."
Marja sighed and ran a brush through her hair gently. She looked up in the mirror and saw Merian's cold blue eyes staring at her, more than a head taller than her own reflection. "Meri, You're just being pessimistic as usual. This person will be his counterpart, and will have the same skills, whether he knows it or not."
"So I will have to teach the little urth person?"
"Earthling is the proper term."
"Meri-" Merian slammed the door shut, and sighed. No one could replace him. Not some stupid snot from urth anyway. Devon was one of a kind. They all were, which was where they got the insane idea for an urth counterpart. It was rumoured that in each dimension there was a person just like you. Merian didn't believe that at all. This would just be more proof that they had failed, and their world would die.
Merian didn't even think it was his fault. After all, he worshipped the ancient gods of the People truly. He felt it was their fault that the avatars had gone mad, not the gods will to destroy. It was the People's fault, for not worshipping faithfully. They no longer claimed a patron, and did not offer donations of time or money to the avatars anymore. After all, they were self sufficient, they didn't need Offerings, the people rationalized. So what little Offering that was spared from the faithful hadn't been enough.
Merian, Devon and Marja had been picked out from Cenalyis, the avatar of Kanos, deity of time, right before this mess had occured. She had sent them all the dreams and promptly fell into the madness the rest of her peers did.
Not just anyone could kill an avatar. Some were afraid that this project was wrong, that the avatars were punishing them, and were not mad.
Dr. Andrea Stone had supported them throughout their endevors to find ways to destroy the avatars, so that new ones could rise to their place and the balance be restored.
Meri knocked on the door to Andrea's office, and turned the knob to enter. The door came open under his hand and he stared at the person who had opened it.
Sebastian blinked at the woman blocking his way in surprise. "Excuse me Ma'am."
"Ma'am? Andrea, what the hell did this urth person just call me?"
Andrea was sitting on the edge of her desk, smiling. "Ma'am. Earth English term of respect for a woman."
The woman backhanded him with surprising force. "Stupid urth people. I don't even look like a woman!"
"What are you then? A crossdresser?"
The woman made as if to kick him. "Meri, wait. They don't have Inbetweens there. His mind is rationalizing you as either male or female."
The thing called Meri sighed and held out his hand. Sebastian took it as the delicate looking creature hauled him to his feet practically on it's own. "What are you?"
"Merian. An Inbetween. I'm not a woman or a man as you would think."
Merian took off his coat and let Sebastian stare for a few seconds before smirking. "One might take such open staring as an invitation."
"But you..you have hips but no breasts.." He stammered, redfaced from embarassment.
Merian sighed and looked down at the sweatpants hanging low on his hips.
Andrea pulled Sebastian away from Merian, who was looking dangerous again.
A woman, this was definatly one, leaned against the door, immaculate in her costume. "....Just stop talking about him, male. You're digging your own grave with that one and his temper."
Merian glared at the man. "You will NEVER replace Devon! Stupid ignorant scum, calling me a woman. Devon would have never dared insult me so." Merian pushed past her and walked down hallway, the sound of his shoes echoed in the silence.
"Why do you call that thing a he if it's not a guy or a girl?"
Marja frowned. "We call everyone He. Do you have gender specifics?"
"We have 'he' and 'she'."
She smiled. "'She' is for those who are currently bearing children. If you referred to him in the bearing tense...then it's no wonder he was angry. Merian hasn't been with anyone in that sense in a long time, especially for one of his age. He said the man he had last approached turned him down. A lot of people believe too much in our sacredness, as Kanos' chosen. Inbetween's get very moody when they don't bed people, but they'll never admit to it. I'm Marja."
"Sebastian."
"Seba...Seba. Welcome to our home. I hope you will agree to help us. I'd better go get him before he attacks someone. His fits of rage..." Marja shrugged and moved to leave.
"No, I should apoligize to...to him.
"Your funeral. He likes to head out to the falls when he gets angry. Go out this office, take a left, follow the corridor to the end and take another left."
True to Marja's word, Merian was sitting on the guardrail in front of a huge waterfall. He turned and hissed when Sebastian came close, and pulled his feet up, crouching on the guardrail like he was ready to attack. He didn't look all that feminine now that Sebastian saw this. "I just came to apologize. I don't know who Devon is, but I don't want to take anyone's place. Hell, I don't even know why I'm here. One moment I was home, the next I wasn't."
Merian jumped down and stared into Sebastian's eyes, showing no emotion. It was so eerie that Sebastian looked away.
Merian smiled. "Can you even fight urth man?"
"Fight?"
"You're here to help destroy the Avatars, and bring peace, and you don't even know the word fight?"
"I know the word. I just...I've never really fought anyone."
"Weak. I knew I'd have to train you myself." Merian shook his head and walked back towards the corridors.
"Are you coming?"
Sebastian did not expect a celebration for his arrival, especially since he still wasn't sure where he was. Andrea had explained some things about this world. He still didn't understand Merian, but there seemed to be a lot like him walking around.
Andrea said there wasn't that many men in this land, and when he had asked about mairrage, she had explained the meaning of a union of three.
"Generally, Inbetweens are passive, healing types. They bridge the difference the man and woman have, so as to produce a more harmonious union. The man and woman in turn provide both their opposite, and the Inbetween with the love and caring that is needed to create a good enviroment for children. Inbetween rarely bear children, and they rarely impregnate a woman. Most of them are fertile, I kid you not, but many of them choose not to. They lose their magic when they are bearing, or they are close to that which they have given to a woman to bear.
When he had asked more about Merian's kind, Andrea blushed and told him to ask Merian about his gender differences.
He looked around for Merian and a flash of silver caught his eye. He looked through the cheering crowd to see Merian, dressed in silk pants that were sheer and shimmered in the moonlight. They were tied at his ankles with silver cord and a thick belt covered his waist, making the see through fabric almost a respectable covering.
Merian was dancing, something that looked almost like an artform. Sebastian had never seen anyone move that way off of television. Eventually he picked out the movements, not as a dance, but as fighting. It was like the karate movements, but much more fluid and he moved with the heavy beating of the drums, his feet were rarely both on the ground. The music came to an end suddenly, and Merian stood still, left leg raised, bent in at the knee, then he put botgh feet back down and bowed. He took in the praise for a moment, like a prized pecock who knew his feathers were the most wonderful hues. Sebastian shivered when Merian met his eyes through the crowd, there was passion in his eyes from the dance, and pride from a job well done, but a superior grin was on his face as he picked his way through the crowd and looked up at Sebastian's eyes.
"Andrea said you wanted to ask me questions? Are you implying that you can be taught?" Merian grasped his hand at the wrist and Sebastian winced at such a strong hold, but said nothing as Merian led him back to a bench where he sat, waiting for Sebastian to sit beside him.
"So what did you want to ask me?"
"Andrea..Professor Stone..She explained the relationship between..what you are, and men and women, but she refused to explain how you are different from either of the other genders." Sebastian felt the blood rush to his own face as he asked. Simple curiosity had been okay around a Professor, but Merian had just proved he was not a teacher yet, and was blatently sexual in his own right.
"We are like anyone else, we have our interests and such. I can't imagine how your world must be like. Don't people choose their own social role there as well?"
"Yes, well...sort of. I meant,..physically.." Merian looked up at the trees overhead.
"Physically..we are both."
"How can you be both?"
"Two sets of primary sex organs. None of the secondary sex characteristics that either of the other genders portray. We grow thiner with maturity."
"But you have hips like a woman and muscles in your upper body like a boy's...."
"Because I'm having a good evening so far I'll forgive that insult. We are how we are. I'm not a scientist. I can't explain any more than I learned in school and I've observed myself. These kind of things we don't question. Do you question why women bear the milk for children? Somehow I doubt you do." Merian shook his head. "Andrea is trying to set us up."
"Set us..but..I'm straight."
"...Straight? I don't understand what you mean urth man. Andrea knows I need sex, but I don't want it with an urth idiot."
"I only like women."
"...What do women have to do with this?" Merian stood up. "I'll kill her this time, I swear..." Sebastian grabbed his hand before he could run off. "Don't hurt her, it's my fault for asking too many questions."
Merian tried to pull his arm away. "Leave me be!" He fell backwards when Sebastian let go, and sat on the ground on his knees. "Andrea knows I'm not attractive, as a weaponsmaster, I'm undesirable to most. Still she tried to ...and you look at me with disgust, it's worse than turning me down, I don't want to hear that anymore...any.." Merian stopped talking, and hid his face.
"Don't cry..."
"I'm NOT crying!" Sebastian bent down and looked at Merian's face under the veil of dark hair. "Maybe I am a little, but do you really have to torture me about that too? I'm alredy miserable enough without urth men who don't even know what an inbetween is torturing me too."
"I'm sorry..I seem to be saying that to you a lot. I just don't know how to treat you, like one of the guys, or like a girl....I mean.." He froze in shock as Merian pulled his face down and kissed him hard. "I'm neither." He stood up and after staring at Sebastian's still, shocked form ran into the woods.
"Meri? Seba? Elyse said he saw you go this way...oh." Marja looked at Sebastian sitting on the bench staring at his hands. "Where is Meri?"
Sebastian waved his hand vaguely off to the left.
"He didn't hurt you did he?" Marja asked, winding a strand of hair up her finger nervously. No. Wrong question. She took a deep breath and asked a different one. "Andrea tried to get Meri bedded again didn't she? He's an unbearable bastard when he's not getting any, but I'd never try and set him up with someone who didn't even understand what he was. Ah, what was she thinking?"
Sebastian shook his head. "It's my fault. I don't understand at all, I don't even know why I liked that."
"Liked what?"
"He kissed me...I mean, I like women..."
"He's female in all the ways that matter to you, as well as male in all the ways that matter to me. If he kissed you, then he's waiting for you, damnit. Go to him if you accept that invitation."
"But.."
"Like I said, what you are thinking, he's female enough for."
Sebastian nodded. "Good luck, Seba."
Sebastian searched the forest for the better part of an hour before hearing a betraying sniffle. He moved quietly, and looked at Merian, sitting on the ground again, face hidden by his hands. His shoulders shuddered slightly, even Sebastian could tell he was crying. "Merian?"
Merian wiped his face with his arm and whispered. "Just go away...I don't think I could bear anymore questions tonight."
Sebastian looked at Merian carefully. He had a fine featured face that Sebastian had first thought was feminine, but the cut to his jaw was almost male. Full dark lips, one reddened by blood, Sebastian suspected he bit his lip while crying. His shoulders were not broad by any means, and sitting here, so vulnerable, he looked like the delicate woman that Sebastian had first suspected him of. His muscles looked more like those of a particularly athletic woman, and Sebastian noted that his nails were just a little longer than necessary. He put his hand under Merian's chin and made him look up at him. Dark lashed blue eyes stared at him, the skin around them reddened from crying. He looked like a mess. Most people did after crying awhile though.
Sebastian brushed his lips against Merian's and stood, nervous.
Merian shook his head. "You can't know what that means...you can't..I'll not..."
"Marja told me that the kiss from you was an invitation..."
"Then you know what I want." Merian stood up, composure regained, and looked at him with the hostile glare he had given before.
Sebastian nodded. "Marja explained...I didn't understand what you were saying before..."
Merian ignored the talk coming out of Sebastian's mouth and pressed his body against his, tilting his head up to kiss him again.
Sebastian was surprised at Merian's forcefulness. He reacted out of instinct and kissed back, hands resting on Merian's waist. "You would want to see first, before you are surprised into not wanting this..." Merian said, and pulled away. He pulled one string on his pants and the entire silk and silver mess fell to the ground. At Sebastian's reaction, he smiled. "There are people more desperate than me. After I had finished sulking over you, I would have found one of them for the night. I'd rather it was someone desirable though." Sebastian looked at Merian unclothed. Merian looked back at him, prepared to be turned down. "I..." Sebastian knelt and looked at Merian, desire replaced by innocent curiosity. "You...really...are both.."
"Mhmhmm...." After waiting several seconds more while Sebastian added up things in his mind, eyes unfocused, but still staring straight ahead.."You know such open stares are considered invitations as well..." Merian said, trying to lighten the mood.
"If..I...I don't want children." Sebastian finally said.
"I came prepared for that as well. Children would mean my death at this point in time."
Sebastian was surprised at Merian's expression afterwards, he curled up against Sebastian's side, looking like a cat that just had a fine meal.
"I don't know whether to worry, or scratch behind your ears." Merian raised an eyebrow and Sebastian explained.
"You can scratch behind my ears all you want...I'd probably let you get away with anything now..." Merian sighed, suddenly sad. "It's a pity you'll never think of me this way after I begin your training..."
"Why not?"
"Hard to think of someone you're wrestling around all day with as a sexual object, especially since I'll probably pound you into the floor several times. That's why I don't have any relationships. No one wants someone like that. Some Inbetweens don't need it at all, so they just assume I'm one of them."
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't apologize, I'm used to it."
"If it helps any...you're a fantastic lover."
"I'll be sure to put that on my resume."
Merian rested his head on Sebastian's shoulder. "Seba?"
"Hm?"
"Call me Meri. Welcome to your new home."
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