#shuska

Shuska sighed softly, looking down at the picture of her little family in her hands. It was from back when her two older wrigglers had just hatched from their coons, Anvala still a grub in her lap.  Everything had been so sweet back then, so simple. She chuckled and perked up when she heard a door open, a worried chirp in her throat when she noticed the time. Almost midday….

“Serthi? Serthi is that you?” She called out, standing and moving towards the laundry room through her kitchen in hopes of meeting her son before he could sneak off to his part of the apartment. The jade turned a sneer to his mother and pushed past the smaller troll with a soft’ yea it's me get out of the way’ as he did.

Shuska managed to barely catch herself against the counter with wide eyes as she looked after the jade with a scowl on her features. “ ‘cuse me? Ya aint aboot ta knock me over an no’ chat fer a sec!” she quipped angrily, having to clear her throat before she spoke again, Serthi having stopped  in the opening of the hallway. He groaned angrily and whipped around with a snarl on his features “Don’t get in my fucking way when I’m coming through the kitchen then hmm?”  

Shuska crossed her arms and looked up to Serthi wit a mixture of anger and confusion on her features. “What has gotten into ya? Serthi ya used-ta be a sweet wriggler, wha’s with the sudden change in attitude?” she asked curiously, her accent still trying to run away with her tongue as she attempted to push down the anger she had felt in her chest.

“What happened to me? WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?! My life is trapped in a fucking library where I hate everyone and everything around me! I want to be out there where I don’t have to follow a goddamned curfew or else I get a new sphincter chewed into my by a little Scottish cunt!” he snapped suddenly enough for Shuska to need to take a step back, even with the space that was between them. “Serthi you don’t have a curf-“ Serthi was quick to cut the little lime off with a quick step towards her. “yes the fuck I do apparently Shuska! Or else you wouldn’t be waiting to snap at me whenever I get home from a date!”

Shuska was at a loss for words. She hadn’t ever had an issue with Serthi before the drones had been called on them…..was this just a lash out about the whole situation? “Serthi I don’t make you have a curfew. I stay up an worry about’cha because I’m yer lusus!”

The jade rolled his eyes so hard his head tipped with the force in turn. “oh here we go again. You aren’t a fucking lusus, you’re a troll who shouldn’t even fucking be alive because of your color! You should have been a fucking jade if you wanted to help with lusii or grubs, but no you decided to just steal us from our ACTUAL lusii” he growled, pushing Shuska to back up until she was against a cabinet. “I didnae STEAL ya fr’m anything! Ya were LEFT at the library steps and I took you in because I didnae want ya to grow up without a lusus or worse yet not even make it!” she snapped back, screaming when Serthi suddenly launched his hand out from under the thick coat he wore for sun protection to grab her by her throat.

“I should have fucking called those drones sooner than I did. You’re a PARASITE on this planet. You and that freak you made me call a sister for almost 11 fucking sweeps.” He growled lowly, Shuska gripping at his wrist  with wide, fearful eyes. Serthi was a good foot and a half taller than her, and built to match even with how much he ate he never seemed to gain a pound.

“You called the drones on us?” came a soft voice from behind them, Serthi throwing Shuska off towards the sink as he whirled around to see Cerium standing there in her pajamas with wide eyes. “you called the drones on us? You…you think i'm a freak?” she asked again, tears welling in her eyes as she slowly backed away again. No one had known Serthi to be a cruel man. He’d been standoffish yes, even snippy and rude at times, but not cruel like this.

“Serthi what's gotten into you?!” she asked, confusion and sadness in her voice as serthi started to stalk towards her. In his eyes, neither of them should be here anymore, they should have both been taken by the drones and that should have been that! “you know…. Omnius was right. You have to take what you want before people try to fucking walk all over you Cerium….. Doing exactly what you and mom have been doing for fucking sweeps” he growled, pulling a Ruger out of the back waist of his slacks and pointing it directly at Cerium as she screamed.

Shuska had managed to get up and grab a knife from the drying rack without alerting the jade. She saw the gun come out and screamed for Cerium to run as she ran up behind Serthi, stabbing him in the shoulder and causing the gun to go off and break the curtained window at the far side of the living room.

Cerium took no time in following what Shuska said, scrambling towards the door and out into the library's main hall to hide between the shelves as Serthi and Shuska fought. He had dropped his gun and after a rough tussle that left serthi with a gash down his bicep as well as the stab to his shoulder, found himself staring at the barrel with Shuska at the trigger.

“Get out” she whispered, trembling as she stared at the man she had called her child. “put the gun down mo-“

“NO” she shouted, tears welling in her eyes as a sob rips its way through her chest. “No….you. don’t. get. To call me mom anymore” she managed to force out, teeth clenched as she cocked the revolvers hammer “Get. Out.” She repeated a bit louder, Serthi standing slowly and raising his hand as he backed away from the short lime  “alright…..alright i-I’m going….i'm backing away see?” he asked softly, only taking his eyes away from her to figure out where he was and how to grab the door since his dominant hand was currently useless.

Once he was out the door, Shuska took the chance to lock and deadbolt the back entrance that usually was left unlocked so her children could get in quickly during the day. Only once she was sure it couldn’t be opened, even with the key Serthi knew of, did she sit the weapon down on the kitchen counter and fall to her knees sobbing.

He wasn’t her baby boy….

Shuska pulled herself back from the tight hug. It had been so long since she saw the taller lime and how time had changed them both. She cleared her throat and raised her hand as though to put it on his cheek but decided against it. "Please.... forgive me for rushing that. A-again my name is Shuska, Shuska Tomson. Welcome to Yggdrasil Library. A home away from home and a safety net for those in need.... " she explained, taking a step back and waving down a Violet with wide innocent eyes and boxed ram horns. "Khirot would you watch the front for me? I have someone I need to meet with" she hummed as he wandered over, a chipper little 'sure thing!' Being his response before the short lime turned back to the taller.