The Cohen Clover

Mason and Lark IV

copyright comidacomida 2021

Mason's catch-up activities at the Centre took up a lot of his time but, even so, he made a promise to himself that he would visit Lark every day.  It had been made obvious to everyone involved that the Oolau responded best (or, ONLY, rather) to him and the enrichment opportunities of Human interaction for the tribesman would have a positive effect.  As such, the young man resolved to see him the very next day.  His obligations at lunch, however, made it difficult for him to find the time.

With the afternoon come-and-gone, Mason revised his plan and pushed through the rest of the day, doubling up on his effort to complete all of his tasks promptly; he got so far ahead, in fact, that he was able to call his work complete an hour before he normally would have completed his day.  With nothing else on his schedule he sent a text message from his data pad to Dr. Cohen.  A few months prior Mason never in his wildest dreams would have presumed to have so much as met the man but, ever since finishing his recovery from the trip to Shattered Earth, he felt as though he were part of the famed physicist's inner circle, and that included the right to electronic communication.

Their exchange that evening was brief, as always; Mason asked if it was okay if he could visit Lark for dinner and Nathan responded with a very straight-forward "That's why you have a keycard.  No need to check in-- just do it." followed by one of the old fashioned emoji smiley faces that went out of style before Mason had been born.  Taking the permission to heart (and forgiving the 60-something for using such an archaic text style), the young man made his way to the medical wing to visit the patient.

Garret was by the door, likely close to the end of his work day, but the security guard was as pleasant in the evening as he was at mid-day.  "Heya Mason... didn't know if you'd be coming by today.  I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

It was a rather casual greeting, but Mason knew that Garret didn't have to say anything.  It was the second part of the statement that caught his attention however. "How's Lark been today?  Anything special go on?"

The guard shook his head.  "More of the usual.  He did look up when the Dr. Jansens went into the room but he didn't talk to them... not like with you, anyway."

The statement warmed Mason's insides in a surprising way; it had been a long time since anyone had identified him individually as 'special' in a good way, and, despite his concern  for Lark having issues socializing, the fact that the Oolau chose him as the Human in which to confide was touching.  He likely would have basked in the positive feeling if not for latching onto something Garret said.  "Wait... Jansens?  With an 's'?  Both of them?"

Mason knew that Dr. W Jansen had been assigned to Lark as an overseer of the medical wing, but the second Dr Jansen (his wife) was a researcher in the biology department.  In his mind she'd always been more of the scholastic kind of doctor rather than the hands-on one.  His mind began to run with the significance, but Garret simplified things. "Dr. C. Jansen was just visiting... she's not on the team roster."

Insofar as Mason was aware, most of the doctors in the Unity Programme went solely by their surname and when more than one doctor shared a last name their first name was added as an abbreviation-- in the case of the Jansens, the young man knew that Dr W. Jansen's first name was Willem, but that was only because he'd misheard it as 'William', and it had caused him no small amount of embarrassment when he learned that his knowledge was incorrect-- he purposefully avoided going back over THAT moment as he realized that he didn't know Dr. C. Jansen's first name... not that it mattered since he never really encountered her.

Garret snapped him out of his short reverie.  "So... got your card with you?"

Blushing, Mason reached into his left pocket and pulled out his security card; unlike most of the staff dedicated to the supervision of Lark, he didn't keep his on a lanyard.  Stepping past the guard, the young man slid it through the reader and, offering a curt nod to Garret, opened the door.  Before stepping though, however, he paused.  "Hey... can you see what the cafeteria has available?  Dr. Cohen said that I could spend dinner with Lark... assuming he hasn't already eaten."

The guard nodded. "No problem... he hasn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday.  I think that's probably gonna be a 'thing' with him... kinda reminds me of a dog I had when I was growing up... damn I loved that dog, but the stubborn fucker would never eat unless I hung out with him."  Garret let out a nostalgic sigh.  "Man, I miss that little shit..."

Uncertain how to respond to that little glimpse of the security guard's pass, Mason simply offered a smile and stepped through the door, letting it close behind him.  About-facing, the young man looked into the room.  Lark was already facing him, ears up and staring.  As with before, the Human held out his arms, hands open and palms facing the Oolau.  Although it obviously needed no announcement, Mason did anyway. "I'm back."

Lark inclined his muzzle in acknowledgement, followed with what was quickly becoming a standard greeting. "Ah-ahwoo."

Mason smiled, unable to keep it bottled up.  "I like that, Lark."

Lark's neutral expression remained unchanged, but his head titled slightly.  "What is it you like, Nason?"

The Human took care to make sure his pronunciation was correct. "The phrase 'Ah-Ahwoo'."

The Wolf stared at him.  "You are an odd creature, Hunan."

In response, Mason simply laughed, mindful to not show his teeth as it was an affront to the Oolau.  By that point he had taken a seat on the floor opposite Lark, crossing his legs as he regarded the dark-furred patient.  He noticed that, unlike prior times, the Oolau warrior had both of his paws resting in his lap rather than his right arm hanging limply on the floor.  He gestured to it. "Is it alright if I come look at your arm?"

Lark didn't respond right away, both ears raising, then one falling, then both raising again before lilting.  He didn't respond until he shifted his position to present his right side toward the Human. "It still does not feel like my arm."

Mason offered an encouraging closed-mouth smile and scooted closer, being mindful to remain within Lark's field of view while approaching.  The two were so close to one another that the Human could smell the distinct Oolau musk; it reminded him of a dog, but many times more powerful, and, at the same time, reminiscent of something more Human... almost like the lingering scent in a gym locker room.  The combination made sense, in a way, considering Oolau weren't entirely Lupine, and he was wearing a regulation Unity Centre uniform.  

The strong scent did bring up a question in his mind however as he began gently looking over where the metal seal on the arm connected to the metal seal on Lark's shoulder.  "Lark?  Do Stewards bathe regularly?"

The Wolf snorted almost indignantly, hears ears dropping back in indignation for a moment before returning to the norm.  He looked away from Mason's ministrations. "Yes.  We do.  Very often... when we can."

Even as the Human carefully inspected how the skin was handling the installation he just as gingerly approached the subject.  "Have you.... bathed since coming here?"

Lark let out a huff, his tail smacking the floor in distinct displeasure. "There is no place for me to wash in this room.  I have been able to clean my paws and my face with the.. 'sink'."

The final word was in English, likely learned by direction from the supervising medical officers, and it carried with it the strong Steward 'accent' which Mason was starting to learn was different from the Seekers.  He immediately realized his mistake in presumption when he spoke without thinking. "What about a 'shower'?"

There was a word for 'shower' in the Oolau language, referencing one of several kinds of rain, but he chose to use the word in English, just like 'sink', hoping it would stand out as a proper, distinct noun.  Mason, already aware of how far beyond the Wolf's knowledge he went when Lark looked right back at him. "What is a 'shower'?"

Quickly recovering from the self-reflection of his unfair expectations, Mason began adjusting the connections on Lark's arm as he went back and explained a shower, and identified the small stall at the corner of the room as one.  He described its function and the long strips of cloth beside it was to dry off after using it before providing the name in English.  "They're called 'towels'."

Lark looked in that direction, staring at the bar over which was draped the aforementioned item.  "I know what they are.  In my language they are called towels."

Mason winced inwardly; of COURSE he knew the Oolau word for towel-- why had he thought that Lark wouldn't?  Sighing, and berating himself again, he took hold of Lark's bicep with one hand and gently cradled his elbow in the other.  "Okay... stay calm..."

It was an easy enough thing to say, and Lark seemed to be doing as directed, right up until the point that Mason removed his arm entirely.  The Oolau fell back and away, letting out an alarmed yelp before he moved his paw to where his arm had been, but stopped before it made the entire journey. "You have my arm... and..." he paused, righting himself as he stared almost incredulously, "...it did not hurt when you took it."

Mason carefully maintained a neutral expression, practicing his medical professional face despite the expression plastered on the Oolau's muzzle.  Nodding calmly, the Human turned the metal plate at the highest point of the arm toward the Wolf. "Yes... this is the connection point for your arm... these panels here--" he gestured to each of three in turn "--connect to the panels on the receiver plate at your shoulder, and when your arm is locked in place they connect to allow blood and lymphatic fluid to transfer from the main portion of your body to your arm."

Lark continued to stare, and the few centimetres of his upper arm still connected to his body wiggled from his shoulder. "I cannot feel it, or move it."

The Human quickly inspected it for any signs of damage or wear as he spoke. "Of course not... nerve signals only pass to and from it when it is connected."  Do not worry though-- it will work fine when I reattach it."

Lark's ears pulled back in concern then quickly flipped back forward. "When... will you do that, Nason?"

Mason offered an encouraging smile. "I will do it right now, if you would like.  I wanted to check the connection and make sure it is working correctly.  Your arm will be fine for four or five minutes disconnected from you but it really should stay connected... turn to your left, please."

The Wolf complied, his head rotated toward the Human unlike the first time when he looked away.  Most of Mason's work was outside his line of sight, but it didn't stop Lark from trying.  After carefully aligning the receivers and connection points, Mason rotated the arm until he heard the distinct 'snick' he was after.  Beyond that, he took a moment to make sure the connections were secure, one hand gently pushing against Lark's shoulder while the other held the arm in place by the Wolf's paw.  He was surprised when his hand got a squeeze.  Lark stated simply "I can feel again."

Mason remained seated next to the Wolf for several second before smiling. "Is that better or worse than before I made the adjustments?"

Rather than answer the question, Lark had one of his own.  "Do Humans do this often?"

Having to fight back a laugh, the young man asked for clarification. "What... take off arms? No, we don't."

Lark gave his hand another squeeze.  "Put paw-into-paw."

Mason felt his cheeks and ears burn in embarrassment as he pulled away.  "Uh... I mean-- I guess.  Why would you ask?"

The Oolau rotated toward him again, slowly rotating his arm before opening then closing his paw.  He returned it to his lap. "Two Hunans were in here today.  They held paws.  It is not something Stewards do in the same was as Hunans."

The Human wasn't exactly how 'the same way' would be described, but he knew the least he could do was answer Lark's questions, but first he needed more information  "Do you know who the Humans were?"

The Wolf responded simply. "The Hunan outside called one 'Doktir Jansen'."

Mason was glad the answer was a simple one. "Oh, then yes.  I suppose they were holding hands.  That is a sign of affection among Humans.  That must have been Doctor Jansen and his wife-- his mate.  Humans who are emotionally close to one another hold hands sometimes."

Lark looked as though he was going to continue his line of questioning but, instead, flicked an ear and looked away.  "Thank you for telling me, Nason."

The acknowledgement made Mason smile.  "You are welcome, Lark.  It is going to be my job to look after you, so I--"

Lark immediately glanced back at him, a glint of anger evident in his eyes as his ears folded back. "I am, not a puppy. I do not need a den mother."

The Human raised his two hands in a placating manner.  "Lark... relax.  I am... more like a guide... it is my job to make sure you have a chance to learn things about us.  That is what we do here at the 'Unity Centre'... we help people understand other people."

The Wolf eased up slightly, but he noted grumpily. "You speak my language.  I already understand you."

The specifics were obviously lost on Lark, but Mason realized it would take far more than one discussion on the topic to convey exactly what the Unity Program did and that there was a big difference between understanding what someone said and understanding what and who someone was.  He decided to surrender the topic and simplify. "Plus, I am healer, so I can be here to help you."

Lark spoke flatly. "You are going to learn about me."

It was an astute statement, and not untrue.  Mason had no intention of lying. "Of course we are.  That is what we do."

Lark looked to him, expression unreadable.  "Then I will learn about you too.  You will teach me about Hunans."

That surprised Mason.  "You want to learn about us?"

The Oolau nods.  "A path travels more than one way, Nason. You say I am not a prisoner.  If that is true then you will teach me about Hunans."

It was far more progress than Mason had expected.  "I promise.  Yes.  We can learn about each other."

Apparently Lark wanted to start immediately.  "Why do Hunans hold paws?"

Mason felt himself blush again; the Wolf was not going to give him easy questions.  He made several attempts to explain via sociological concepts, physiological concepts, and even physiological theories, but it became more and more difficult for him to express complicated ideas in Oolau, and because he wasn't sure how much was actually sinking in.  Calling hands 'paws' also complicated things, but that was incidental. 

His final offer was fairly straight forward, and he had to substitute the English word for 'hands' because there was no equivalent in Oolau. "Humans like peace.  Holding 'hands' is a form of closeness, and if you're holding 'hands' you can not hold weapons."

Lark snorted.  "Hunans have two paws-- 'hands'.  They can hold a weapon in the other one."

Realizing that his attempt at metaphor fell on its face, Mason tried a more direct approach, bringing together many of the concepts he tried to explain. "Humans take comfort in the touch of others.  We are able to build stronger connections through touch and closeness, and that helps us maintain peace-- peace at home, peace between friends and, with what we are trying with the 'Unity Programme', peace among our worlds."

Lark shook his head.  "Hunans have so many powerful weapons... you do not look like you want peace."

The young man was ready for that objection; he'd heard it explained many time to the Phin while he'd been at the Academy.  "Humans are good at war... very good at war... which is why peace is so important to us.  If you can imagine how bad the Night of Twenty Suns must have been, Humans have single weapons that each can do twice that, and we have hundreds."

Their discussion came to a brief halt as Garret entered the room.  The guard brought a cart with him and, as before, he left it by the door.  "I'm clockin' out, Mason.  When you're done here just bring the cart back out and leave it in the hall."

Mason raised a hand in thanks.  "Thanks Garret.  I will."

The two ate in silence for several minutes; Mason was pleased to see that Lark ate heartily and quickly, practically inhaling his meal-- though he did start each new item with a very cautious taste; the Human smirked, wondering if the poor Oolau was worried that he might encounter more broccoli.  He was still a side dish behind when Lark was done, cleaning his tray with his tongue.  Smiling the Human slid the last of his own food to the Oolau, who accepted without a word, but his tail beat out a slow tempo on the floor to identify that the gift was appreciated.  It wasn't until the meal was complete that Lark spoke again.

It was quite the question.  "Why would Hunans have weapons like what you said?"

The young man sighed; he didn't exactly like that line of thinking, but he'd promised himself he'd be honest with the Oolau. "Most Humans like peace, but some like hurting others-- sometimes it is out of fear and sometimes it is out of malice.  Humans are not perfect.  I do not think any race is."

Lark pressed the topic. "What kind of Hunan are you, Nason?"

The question was far easier than the ones which came before. "I do not like hurting others."

The Wolf's follow-up inquiry was a little different; his lupine eyes stared at Mason, as if challenging him. "Can you, if you had to?"

Mason found it hard to meet Lark's gaze in its intensity. "If I had to?  Maybe.  I don't ever want to have to though."

The Wolf slowly sat back, leaving his empty tray unattended.  "All Stewards know that sometimes we must hurt others.  Any Steward who cannot is a threat to the tribe.  All must carry their weight."

It was a straight forward statement, spoken without apparent insult or belittlement.  Mason sat there for several seconds trying to digest the possible meaning behind it.  In the end he could only present an acknowledgement of what was said, along with drawing attention to it as a contrast between their cultures. "I suppose Humans like me have the luxury of being able to choose.  Like I said, if I HAD to I don't know if I could, but I've never had to, and hope I do not ever have to in the future."

Lark stared down at the paws in his lap, squeezing the fingers on his reattached arm. "You kept the other Hunans from killing me."

"I did."

The Wolf looked back to him.  "I am angry about what happened, Nason, but I know you did not make me lose my arm.  I am not angry at you.  I am sad... sad and angry, but I am glad I am alive.  Thank you."

It was the first time Lark had actually thanked him, and Mason really didn't know how to respond.  In the end, a 'you are welcome' didn't feel right, especially since it wasn't really a proper phrase among the Oolau.  In the end, he spoke from the heart.  "Ah-Ahwoo."

Lark's head immediately snapped to the side, turning to regard Mason in incredulity and surprise; a moment later, the Wolf laughed.  It was a sound that the young man found himself enjoying greatly.  The laughter was accompanied by another accusation that Mason was an odd creature, but the Wolf's tail did not stop wagging.

The Human remained for another few minutes, but he realized that his morning was going to start early and he would have to say his farewells.  He lingered just a little longer until a quiet 'beep-beep' from his data pad identified that it was ten o clock-- he'd apparently been with Lark for almost four hours.  He mumbled to himself in English "Wow... time flies."

The Wolf identified the situation before Mason had said a word to him. "You are leaving again now?"

Mason confirmed the answer and provided an explanation.  "Yes.  I have to sleep soon because I will be awake early."

Lark nodded, easing back to create more distance between the two of them.  His follow up question was both guarded and reserved.  "But you will return tomorrow..."

Standing, the young man offered a smile. "Of course.  Yes.  I will visit you every day, if that is acceptable to you."

The Wolf flicked his muzzle upward in an Oolau nod. "Ah-ahwoo, odd creature."

Mason could have sworn he saw the faintest hint of a smile on Lark's muzzle when he spoke the words, but the Human had to turn away.  He paused only long enough to collect the plates, put them on the push card, and bring everything outside the room.  He was surprised to see Narri waiting for him.

Setting the brakes on the cart to make sure it wouldn't roll down the hall, he offered a friendly greeting to the large Akita in the Oolau tongue. "Hi.  I did not think you would be out this late.  I thought you have a class to instruct in the--"

She spoke over him-- in English. "There is no guard on duty and you were in with the Purist.  Someone needed to be here to make sure you didn't get mauled, Mason.  Why won't any of you listen to me when I tell you that he's dangerous?"

Mason understood her concerns; he himself had seen several Stewards slaughter a majority of his traveling party, but he also knew that, just like Humans, Oolau could be individuals.  He also felt deep inside that Lark was NOT a threat.  Switching over to English since she seemed inclined to speak it, the young man attempted some tact. "I know Seekers and Purists haven't had the best of relationships, but I think--"

Narri spoke over him again. "We are not at war because of the Accord, but every time they do something it tells us that they want to be.  It's only because of the cool head of the Chancellor and his continued dedication to peace and the principles of the Unity Programme that they can continue to get away with it."

Something about her statement sounded more like an accusation than an explanation.  "Are you saying that the Seekers want a war with the Stewards?"

Her muzzle scrunched up distastefully. "Now you are calling them 'Stewards'?  Don't tell me you're--"

He took his turn to speak over her; despite the fact that she was an instruction assistant, he wasn't about to let her undo his progress with peaceful interaction. "I'm calling him a Steward because that's what he calls himself.  You don't hear me calling your people Dreamers, do you?  It's a matter of respect!"

Her scowl deepened and, for a moment, Mason actually thought his heart skipped a beat in fear.  Narri, however, just lowered her head, shaking it, switching reflexively back to Oolau. "I do not understand you, Mason... he and his people killed your friends... your people and mine, and you are still not able to see him as a threat."

Mason knew she had a valid point, but he also knew that he had one-- that the Unity Programme was built to establish common ground.  He didn't have much of an answer for her, but he tried anyway.  "I'm sorry that you can't see him as anything but."

They parted ways that night and he put her out of his mind as he went through all of the steps to get ready for bed.  Mason fell asleep with images of the hint of a smile on a dark-furred muzzle, and the reaffirming sounds of the soft, rhythmic patting of a bushy tail on a tile floor.

He awoke the next morning to the news that Lark had escaped, and attacked Narri in the process.  Mason threw on his uniform and shoes then raced down to the med center.