Endless stairs, endless damnable stairs! How many had he passed already? Nearly about one hundred no doubt, all within the span of a couple chimes. Brandon had started to run, rushing up the steps in what would have been a comfortable speed when running on even ground. On a staircase though, it was everything but. He was sweating, huffing and puffing, teeth clenched and face set in a permanent expression of determination. Whether he liked it or not, this was training for his leg muscles; nothing was as good a workout for the legs as running up a flight of stairs. However, the bat feared he might have bitten off much more than he could chew. Still, he did not stop, not yet.
When was it he’d heard about the “Symenestra woman” –a term with which Dru was referred to by most of the gossiping circles- heading to the Catholicon and climbing the very same set of annoying stairs? Not too long ago. Brandon hadn’t been worried, not at all. Sure, there were some weirdos at the healing center, but there were also very capable medical employees. Whatever disease Dru had caught, they’d be able to help her there. Same thing was true for when she was going into labour… Dru had probably mentioned when her due date was, but the bat had forgotten. Those were details he did not deem too important.
His eyes darted towards a rock formation, legs stomping on the carved stairs, propelling his body further upwards. When I reach that strangely shaped rock, I can stop running and recover a bit, he thought.
Ten or fifteen chimes ago then, the Kelvic had –by pure coincidence really- passed by the tea house, catching a fragment of a conversation between two people. One had been kind of like a Symenestra, but not quite, the other had looked Lhavitian to the core. The former had been rather excited, chattering about how she’d been aiding in the delivery of some twins earlier today. Nothing too interesting, until she mentioned the mother was a full-blooded Spider. There weren’t a lot of Syms in Lhavit, much less full-blooded, pregnant ones. He knew it was Dru, and thus, he had decided to check on her again, wanting to make sure all was well. Not that he had any doubts about the healers; just like the Shinya, they were quite competent.
With a deep breath sucked into his heaving lungs, and a foot planting itself on a stone step, Brandon passed the rock formation, not ceasing to run. I can go on for a while longer, he told himself, When I reach the next … no … that patch of moss there, I’ll rest a bit. Though he didn’t either, he just passed by, a moment of indecisiveness condemning him to run to the next checkpoint. This went on for a chime or two longer, but each time he grew more and more winded, his legs starting to feel way too heavy too. Still, he made it to the next point, then actually slowing to a slower pace, it feeling just about as fast as that of a snail. His breathing was heavy, and the beads of sweat pearling down his body were many. I made a huge mistake… the Kelvic realized, looking up at how much higher the Catholicon was located above his head. There was still about half a staircase left. Well petch…
Perhaps fifteen chimes later the bat arrived at the main hall, feeling half dead and riddled with desire for a bed to sleep in. He’d ran the last chime again, not content with how slow he was progressing with just walking, even when he’d recovered enough to feel normal instead of sluggish. That too had been a mistake, as the Kelvic had assumed he was nearly there –there had been only one revolution around the peak left after all. However, it had been more steps than he’d anticipated, and his sprint –and it had been a sprint- had drained all of his strength quickly, but he’d refused to give up. It was nothing short of a miracle he hadn’t collapsed upon arrival. He’d taken some time to recover once again, this time seated in a chair in the waiting area, greedily panting for as much air as possible.
Once recovered enough to not look disheveled and exhausted –though he did still feel like it- he went to the reception to ask for Dru’s room. He was sent to some wing on a different floor. More stairs. Well played, Catholicon, well played.
But! Brandon did not give up, stubbornly ascending one step at a time, eventually making it to the wing he was looking for, though where was that room? He decided to ask one of the nurses, who –oddly enough- happened to be a semi-sym. “Drusilla Aster? She’s in the room at the end of the hall, to the left. Number One hundred and twelve.” She answered in Symenos, as Brandon had, out of habit when speaking to Dru, posed the question in the language. “Though she’s resting right now, I can imagine she’d rather not be bothered right now. Only family may visit for now. And you are..?”
“The father of her childs.”
“Children,” she corrected, frowning disapprovingly. “You should have been here with your wife when she was delivering.” Her stare was harsh, but Brandon was not impressed, he’d seen worse things. “She’s not my wife,” he stated, and adding another statement upon seeing the nurse’s mouth open to say something else, “Nor my fiancé, girlfriend, or lover.” He crossed his arms. “Besides, I had better things to do than standing about here.” She made a sound as if she just choked on a bit of food. “So you sired a child –excuse me, a pair of twins- and you aren’t even taking any responsibility?” A snort. “I thought you an asshole when Doctor Alessia asked whether we should send someone to get you, but wow, you’re even worse!” And then she stormed off, leaving Brandon alone with a raised eyebrow.
His shoulders were dragged up and down in a shrug, and then he just entered Dru’s room quietly like a ghost. Just like the rest of the building, the chamber smelled like medicine and some aggressive cleaning fluid. Dru was reclining on the bed, two infants asleep in her arms. “I heard you gave birth,” he spoke in a low voice, stating the obvious, “so I came to see how you were doing.” As far as he could tell, she looked much better than last time, exhausted but content. He closed in stealthily, casting a glance on the twins, who –judging by their scent- were a boy and a girl.
by Drusilla on February 17th, 2016, 9:05 pm 
