The Cohen Clover
Mason and Lark V
copyright comidacomida 2022
The hallways flew by as Mason raced toward the medical wing. The Centre was awash with activity, far more than usual for such an early hour in the morning. The blur of side passages revealed glimpses of students milling about the hallway talking among themselves, most likely trying to figure out why so many security personnel were on the move. Mason, who had been awakened by a call in the morning already knew the reason.
It had been Dr Cohen himself, letting the young man know that Lark had fled his room and that Narri was there with the security team recovering from wounds. The thousands of thoughts rushing through his mind drowned out each of the steps of his feet hitting the corridor floors; he needed to know what happened; he needed to know what went wrong; he needed to know that he wasn't somehow responsible for lives being runed; he needed to know that everyone was okay; most of all, he needed answers.
He made it to the medical wing far faster than he had in the past but, even so, it felt like it took far too long to Mason. He was reasonable enough to know that he wouldn't really be able to do anything about it whether he was there or not but not knowing would break him and so he wasted no time in approaching the last adjoining hallway where a large number of security staff had gathered up. Garret was already there and, upon seeing Mason motioned him over. A few of the other guards moved in to stop him but the dedicated officer waved them off. "He's cleared for this area... let him through."
Mason went immediately to Garret's side. "What happened? What's going on? Is Lark really gone?"
The guard raised a hand to slow him down. "Whoa. One question at a time. I've only just caught up myself. Right now there's an investigation going on and Narri is in there being debriefed. She was the only one around when Lark broke out and the team is still getting to the bottom of things."
Feeling sick to his stomach, Mason motioned to the side passage where the usually closed door to the holding room was open. "Can I... go talk to Narri? Is she alright?"
Garret shrugged. "She seemed fine... Oolau are pretty tough, you know. One of the docs already gave her a once-over and the detectives are talking to her."
Although it wasn't a city in its own right the research station functioned like a small town, including having its own police station. While not technically police the security team functioned like officers but there were set detectives motivated to investigating crimes. Mason couldn't recall the last time one was needed and he felt significantly intimidated by the realization that he was about to face them. "So... I CAN'T go in?"
Garret shrugged again, apparently not as affected by their presence as Mason. "Go ahead... I think they wanted to talk to you too... you know... get as much info as they can about what happened last night."
The young man almost felt his heart stop. "Talk to me? About last night?"
The officer nodded; if he was aware how stressed the comment had left Mason he didn't show it. "Yeah... you know-- did you see anything strange? Did you lock the door after you left? That kind of thing."
Did they think that Mason had something to do with Lark getting out? Mason made sure to close the door so he knew that he had nothing to do with it. Would they believe him? He slowly inhaled a shaky breath, mindful to not hyperventilate. No, he reasoned, they were just being thorough. Plus, Narri was the last person to see Lark, and she was still there after he left, so she would definitely point out that he hadn't done anything wrong. Taking in another deep, steadying breath, the young man entered the holding area.
The room was in complete disarray. Lark's mattress had been flipped, there were claw marks on the walls with a splatter of red adjacent to the door. Mason's eyes focused on the mark which could only have been blood, remaining silent as three men wearing the uniforms of the security team talked calmly with Narri. The young man's attention finally started to wander, taking note of the overturned push cart with plates and cutlery scattered out around it. He continued to focus on that; when he left he brought the cart out with him-- he was SURE of it. One of the forks, a good distance from the others, was bloody; he winced when he saw it, and felt an uncomfortable chill go up his spine.
A firm, even-toned voice called to him by name. "Mason Weston?"
Mason turned to see that the two detectives were looking his way. Clearing his throat, and letting out another steadying breath, the young men approached them and Nari; the Oolau was watching him intently. Focusing on the security officers, Mason nodded. "Uh... yeah. That's me. I'm Mason."
The one who had called him provided a brief introduction then got straight to work. "I'm Detective Somsak Chen and this is Detective Miora Rakotobe. We have a few questions we would like to ask you."
All security officers in the Unity Programme had two patches on their shoulders: the first was the two-linked rings that represented the Unity Programme symbol and the second was the flag identifying the officer's nation of origin. Mason had not scored well in national flags but when he was at the Academy he had a student in his class from Thiland so he recognized the red/white/blue/white/red lined flag on Detective Chen's shoulder, while the red-and-green flag with the white bar on the left side on Detective Rakotobe's shoulder was definitely from Madagascar.
It was the second detective that had the first question and she spoke up before Mason could confirm that he was ready. "Mr. Weston, would you please tell us what you remember of your interaction with the patient here last night?"
The question was straight forward, but also vague, meaning Mason didn't have any simple answer. He spent the next several minutes recounting as much as he could recall from his interaction with Lark including the Oolau's apparent interest in seeing him the following day, and that he had no indication that Lark would try something like escaping. He was also quick to include that the push cart had been brought outside when he left-- the fact that it was back inside the room seemed... odd.
Both detectives glanced to Narri for just a split second before returning their attention to Mason. It was Detective Chen who asked a follow up question. "Are you certain that you brought it outside with you when you left?"
He was, of course, and let them know it. "Definitely. I set the break on it after I pushed it against the wall... that's when I saw Narri. We talked for a minute while I followed protocol. I was swiping my card to make sure the door was locked."
The two detectives glanced to Narri, who was focused on Mason. Rather than address the Oolau, they returned their attention to the byoung man and Detective Rakotobe continued the interrogation. "And after that? What did you do next?"
Mason shrugged. "Went back to my apartment to get some sleep."
Detective Chen pressed a few buttons on his tablet. "Did you go into the control room at any point during your visit or afterwards last night, Mr. Weston?"
The young man hadn't, and wasn't really sure why they were asking but he kept his answer simple and straight-forward. "No."
The next question from Detective Chen felt like it was significant. "Did you by chance notice if the cameras were active in the holding room during your visit?"
It wasn't something Mason normally paid any attention to but he remembered glancing at one of the cameras during the discussion he had with Lark about the two Doctor Jansens. "I did, yes. The light on that one right there was green but I didn't notice the others."
Everyone in the room followed Mason's gesture to the camera in the far corner of the room covering the entryway. Both Detectives made more notes onto their tablets and then, offering only the most superficial statements of farewell, made their departure. The sudden absence of other Humans in the room left Mason alone with Narri. She was the first one between the two of them to speak up. "You are fortunate that it was not you he attacked."
Mason had a hundred different ways he could have (and wanted) to respond to the statement but he decided it was far more important to collaborate rather than differentiate. "Are you alright, Narri? When I heard you got hurt--"
She waved away his concern, approaching him with confidence. "It is nothing serious. I will heal soon enough. If it had been a Human in here though things may have been different. I hope you will listen next time I provide such a warning."
It still made no sense to the young man. Had he been so blind to see that Lark was just looking for a chance to escape? Mason was sure that he and Lark had an understanding. "What happened, exactly?"
She flicked an ear, her expression dire. "Your 'guest' agreed with me; he was a prisoner, and he chose to escape."
The Human shook his head, still not able to come to grips with the betrayal of his trust; Lark didn't seem like the type. "I... I just can't believe he would do that."
Narri snorted and calmly counted off several points one after another on her digits. "I came in to check on him and he took that opportunity to attack-- he pushed the cart into me... which you DID leave in the room, by the way. I grabbed him but I was off balance and he stabbed me in the paw with a fork, here." she showed the back of her right paw where there was a bandage. "He then grabbed my shoulder and slammed me into the wall over there." she pointed to the bloody splat on the wall. "He then ran and was gone when I regained my senses. What more do you need to see in order to believe that it happened, Mason?"
That still didn't answer all of Mason's questions. "Why did you come into the room? I thought you didn't trust him."
Narri's tail straightened out and puffed up; he could tell the question agitated her. When she responded it was in a carefully controlled tone with a barely restrained growl. "Your words last night brought to question my willingness to hold an open mind. Despite that I knew better, I was willing to give your 'guest' a chance, and now we stand here after an event which only proved my point."
It wasn't just the statement that hurt, but the way in which the Oolau practically used it as a weapon against him. Mason HAD told her that she needed to give Lark a chance; had he really been the cause of the problems? The young man continued to ponder the significance of the events as a much milder, much calmer voice added itself to the room. "Good morning, Mason. Good morning, Narri."
The Akita huffed. "It will be when I no longer smell the scent of my own blood, Doctor Cohen... and when your security captures the Purist."
The physicist offered a patient nod to Narri then moved to join Mason. "You look troubled, my boy. Is everything alright?"
The young man had trouble figuring out how Dr Cohen could be so composed. "You mean other than Narri being hurt and Lark being out there?"
The Oolau grunted. "I am not that hurt. He was more interested in escaping than killing me and, like I said, I am an Oolau-- the Centre is lucky that it was not a Human he assaulted or one of you may have been killed."
Despite the obvious concerns, Nathan was still smiling calmly. He gestured to Narri. "You see, Mason? She will be fine-- no permanent harm... and Lark will not be able to get far. I case you do not remember, we ARE surrounded by ocean and St Paul island really is not all that large-- there are only so many places he can be."
Narri let out a soft growl. "I am willing to put together a hunting party, Dr. Cohen. If you will let me take two of your security, I--"
Nathan shook his head. "No... I'm certain that won't be necessary, Narri. Thank you. I believe it will be much easier to talk him down than to hunt him down."
The Oolau huffed dejectedly. "You are all so optimistic. He caused damage to this room and attacked a Programme member. If it had been a Human--"
Dr. Cohen interrupted her. "And yet it wasn't... so minimal damage was done. As you said, Narri, you are an Oolau and his roughness dealt no lasting damage."
She didn't relent. "We were lucky. If you want to continue testing that luck then you can, but I think--"
Nathan held up a hand, stalling her immediately. "Let's the three of us take a walk... this IS something we should discuss in a quiet round-table. I would appreciate multiple viewpoints on this issue."
Mason was overwhelmed that Dr Cohen would need his input on something and he followed obediently after. Narri did so as well, offering a confident statement of "Of course, Dr. Cohen. I would be honored to help advise on this matter."
The physicist led them out of the room, nodding to the small group of security officers waiting outside in the hall, and led both Unity Centre students out into the main hall before taking a right. Mason was surprised that the place he elected to hold the conversation was the holding room control center. Once the three of them arrived, Nathan settled into one of the chairs and motioned to two others. "As you get older you find that you don't like standing as much as you used to. You two are welcome to take a seat too."
Narri did so right away, choosing the chair with a hole in the back so her tail could hang free. Mason chose the second of the two, at which point the Oolau began speaking her mind. "Oolau prefer open space when they are looking to travel a great distance. He will not have known he is on an island, and so I believe he will--"
Nathan picked up a cup and saucer, interrupting her with a question. "Narri, what were you doing in Lark's room?"
She snorted, her expression souring; it was obvious she didn't appreciate the sudden trajectory change. "I already told the security team-- Mason had questioned my commitment to the Unity Programme's point of giving others a chance. After he left for the night I entered into the Purist's room in order to talk with him in a civil manner." she gestured to the bloody streaks in her muzzle fur. "As expected, he was not interested in talking."
Dr. Cohen raised an eybrow. "You went to talk to him after visiting hours?"
Her scowl deepened. "I already said all of this to the detectives, Nathan. Despite my willingness to give him a chance, I am not stupid. I EXPECTED him to try something and I did not want anyone around to be harmed."
The physicist took a sip from his cup and calmly gestured toward the Oolau with the saucer. "But YOU were hurt, Narri... I would say that is significant."
Narri snorted. "I am fine. Oolau are resilient."
Nathan nodded, setting the cup and saucer down again. "Mmm... indeed, and I am certain we are all glad for that." He sat up straighter in his chair, picking up a tablet. Pressing a few buttons, he looked back to the Akita. "Tell me again what happened early this morning when you visited him?"
The sound of frustration she gave off had no equivalent to the sound a Human could make but, nevertheless, she went through her story. According to her, Mason had left the cart in the room and Lark had used it to catch her by surprise and push her off balance before--
Dr. Cohen interrupted her again. "You had said earlier that you were expected him to try something, but he caught you by surprise anyway?"
Her voice actually came out as a growl with her response. "Why all of these questions? Are you accusing me of something, Dr. Cohen?"
Mason sat up a little straighter in his seat; he did not like it when Oolau growled. Nathan, however, was as calm as ever. "My dear Narri, if I were to accuse you of something I would do the courtesy of doing so directly. No-- I simply wish to understand your story. So... you said to the detectives that the two of you started by talking and that things got heated-- a philosophical difference, I would presume? What next?"
Narri's fur remained raised but her voice calmed... a little. "He insulted me and so I decided that I should remove myself from the situation. It was when I turned to leave that he pushed the cart into me, and then stabbed me with the fork. He grabbed hold of my head and forced my muzzle into the wall three times. While I was dazed he exited the door. That is the entirety of what I have to say."
The Oolau accentuated her statement by firmly crossing her arms over her chest; it was a non-verbal cue that the Humans and Oolau shared. Dr Cohen nodded. "I see."
Leaning forward, Nathan set his tablet on the counter where everyone present could see it. Narri's demeanor changed immediately. "The-- the cameras were off!"
The physicist calmly shook his head. "No-- the security cameras in the holding area have online lights on the right and offline lights on the left, which is the opposite of all other security cameras."
Mason realized exactly what it was Nathan had said as he watched the events play out in the holding room between Lark and Narri. The security cameras had red and green lights so any Human could easily tell the difference but Oolau, only able to see whether a light was on or not, could not tell the difference. Narri had obviously THOUGHT the cameras were showing as off, but that was not the case, and the truth of her story was revealed: there was little truth to her tale.
The moment Narri entered the room it was obvious that she was aggressive; her hackles were up and her tail was held dominantly. She pointed at Lark in an imposing way and she brought the cart into the room with her. She was the one to push it over and, as she continued to conduct herself in a threatening manner, the Akita picked up a fork and stabbed herself in her paw. Lark kept as far away from her as he could, moving only once she started headbutting the wall herself; at that point he fled past her, retreating out of the room. She straightened up after that, taking several steadying breaths, walked two complete circuits around the room, and her demeanor changed just as she opened her muzzle, presumably shouting aloud since the cameras did not pick up any sound.
Throughout the showing Narri remained completely silent. Her tail was hanging limply and her ears had drooped. As the camera feed came to an end she had very little to say, which she did in a neutral, matter of fact tone. "I did what I did to protect the Unity Program. None of you would listen to me and this way I was able to make sure your lesson wouldn't result in anyone getting hurt."
Nathan took in a deep breath, and slowly let it out; the man's cheery levity was gone and he looked truly old and tired. Running a hand through his hair he gave a beckoning gesture to some figures at the door; Mason didn't notice the security personnel until they came into the room. Dr. Cohen spoke quietly and simply. "Narri, I have already contacted your people and they know you will be returning to Sundered Earth during the next exchange. Mason, there are some administrative actions that need to be taken but you do not have to be here for them. Please go find Lark and ask him to please come join us again-- we will return him to his people if he would prefer, and let him know that we are so very sorry for this... spectacle."
Mason was up and running as fast as he could; he'd wanted to find Lark ever since he heard that the Wolf had escaped. Knowing more than he had when he first awoke, the drive was even stronger and he was off like a shot.
* * * * *
It took almost an hour for Mason to find Lark. Heeding Narri's one good piece of advice about what an Oolau would do when trying to escape, the Human finally encountered the Wolf on the northern side of the Island. Lark was seated on the rocky ground, legs dangling over a cliff, eastern side of his body illuminated by the dawn's light and western side still in shadow, which matched his expression. The Oolau's shoulders were hunched, ears wilted, and tail limp behind him. As Mason approached the Wolf spoke softly. "What did she say?"
The young man stopped where he was, content to give Lark his space so long as the Steward heard him out. "Does it matter? We know she lied. We know you didn't do anything."
The Wolf rotated quickly, ears rising and eyes opening wider; Mason felt a deep sting in his heart to see the wet streaks around Lark's eyes. When the Oolau spoke his voice was soft, nearly beseeching. "You would believe me over her, Nason? But I ran... that is the sign of one who has guilt."
The best thing Mason felt he could do was to keep things simple. "We know she lied, Lark, and I spoke in support of you. When you are in a situation like that you cannot always stand by and in that case, I think running probably WAS the best thing you could have done... especially after she started hurting herself."
The young man saw the Wolf's throat work, very likely swallowing against an emotional constriction. When Lark spoke his voice was strained. "She said she that the Hunans would believe that I hurt her, and she would not stop if I stayed in the room with her. She said that you would hate me and tear my fur off while I was still alive."
Mason grit his teeth; he was growing so angry that he had a hard time maintaing his calm, but getting angry at Narri would not help the situation with Lark. Finding the strength within himself to remain calm, he took a slow step forward. "Then she lied to you like she lied to us. I do not hate you, Lark, and nobody here wants to harm you. Like I said before, we want to be able to get along with the Oolau-- the Stewards and the Seekers both. None of us are angry, and everyone understands what happened. You are NOT in trouble."
Lark's shoulders were no longer quite as bowed and his ears had returned to a semi-balance of erect. His tail, however, remained unmoving. "Are your words true, or are you saying them because you know I was looking to the sea below?"
A thousand thoughts went through Mason's mind at that, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions. "Looking to the sea? What do you--"
The Wolf looked back to him. "The sea would be kinder with my body than Hunans who would tear my fur off of it while I live."
The young man took a step back. "What? Oh GOD no... NO, Lark... I really mean it. They-- they said that what happened with Narri shouldn't have happened, and I--" he paused, realizing that he was about to speak personally rather than as a messenger for Dr. Cohen. "-- we want you to feel safe... and if that means sending you back to your people we will."
Acting as if he hadn't heard anything of the offer, Lark slowly stood up, turning to face Mason. "Are you angry, Nason?"
The question felt as though it had come out of left field, but the young man offered as real an answer as he could considering the surprise. "Only angry that you were thinking of jumping into the water. I went through a lot to save your life only to have you go and kill yourself."
The Wolf looked down at the ground, his tail tucking ever-so-slightly. "I would not kill myself... I had thought about it, but I could not believe the Dreamer. It would have been easy to, except that it was not what you told me."
Mason knew that Oolau thought processes were not always the same as those of Humans so it took the young man a few moments to do the cerebral gymnastics to decipher what the Steward was saying. "Why would it have been easy to believe what she was saying, and what made you not beleive her?"
Lark took another few steps forward until he was an arm's length from Mason. "You said that you are a healer, Nason, and that I am your guest. Among my people, a guest is an honored inclusion into a home and a host will do everything to protect them. Is this the same among Hunans, or is it different?"
The young man didn't want to lie. "It isn't the same, but I AM a healer,and I DID tell you that you are safe here, and I meant it."
The Wolf nodded. "Yes. This. You said one thing and she said another. I believe you more than I believe her, so it was easy to know she was lying... and I WANTED to think she was lying because I knew I could believe you and--" he paused, looking down and away from Mason. "--and I wanted to believe you."
Mason smiled, taking one more step so he could be next to Lark. The Oolau wasn't looking at him, and so he didn't look at the Wolf. They both stood by the cliff, gazing eastward toward the rising sun. The Human spoke softly. "You can trust me, and I will not betray that trust, Lark. I promise."
The young man jumped when he felt the warm paw pads touch his fingers and then, ever-so-carefully interlace with them. When Lark next spoke his voice was soft. "I have nothing left in my village. I would like to stay here."
Looking down to his hand, he saw that the Wolf was holding it gently and memories of their discussion the prior night about the significance of touch flooded his mind. Carefully moderating the sudden surge of emotions flowing through himself, Mason slowly looked up to his companion. "You would?"
Lark's gaze was once again directed at the young man. The Wolf's pale blue eyes were almost hypnotic, pupils wide and focused entirely on Mason. A slow, hesitant smile spread across the Oolau's thin black lips and his tail began to move... slowly at first and, after a few lengthy seconds, it truly began to wag. Mason felt a gentle squeeze against his hand. Lark spoke softly, but with determination. "Ah-ahwoo."
We'll see where the story takes them.... in another 5 chapters after checking back in on Angie Mae and Anin. :)
Gryphons are an entirely different spin-off and unrelated to the Cohen Clover.
There will be plenty of time for Lark and Mason to share understanding... just not until after Angie Mae and Anin, which is coming up next.
-TGU.
With each chapter I see with melancholy that there are less and less new stories that I can still discover.
It's nice to watch their relationship grow stronger as their understanding of each other grows, and that this relationship has reached a point where Mason is standing up for Lark.
Mason and Lark are a slow burn. There's the spark of a relationship building and it's gaining strength.