It had been a good day. Well, as far as Raiha was concerned, it was. The last several tendays had involved her doing her own work, and just making sure that Sanctuary was running and dealing with the Council when they came in to assure them that she was looking after the place until Kavala got back, and she was sure she -would- be, but until then, it wouldn't do to upset everything until they knew what was going on, right? Well then. They could take it up with Kavala when she got back. Yes, as far as the Akontak knew, the Konti would be back. Yes, she knew Kavala was still under contract despite birthing an Akontak, which Raiha personally felt was enough to release her from it, but since they disagreed she wasn't going to discuss that. She didn't plan on replacing Kavala, or trying to replace Kavala. She couldn't do that...and didn't think anyone really could. But it meant she had to open herself far more to other people. Trial by fire might burn, but the scars are neat reminders, Kanikra reminded her.
I know, Raiha kept herself from leaning on the flanged mace as she stood in the middle of the courtyard, still holding it, before lifting the weapon once more and smashing the flanged head into the cattail dummy. It's a good experience. I just wish I knew if she was okay or not. Maybe I should try talking to Avalis, see if that helps any. The shadows had only been able to tell her that Kavala hitched up some horses to the wagon and took off. Though she asked, nothing else had been forthcoming.
Couldn't hurt at this stage, I suppose, Kanikra was a little grudging. Her sister marked us as a baby, after all. Dipping into the Chavena and whatever else those diviners do... Tighten that arm. She corrected her sister's stance immediately when Raiha let the proper form slouch too much for Kanikra's liking. Immediately, she did, and brought the weapon up in a vicious upswing that almost knocked the dummy off its base, and sent the reverberations all the way to her shoulder. That's the force we need to use. Again. Keep going.
It's fickle, isn't it? To only really pray to her now that we actually need answers. Raiha could only imagine how much a Goddess heard petitions from people that were here today, gone tomorrow. And while she'd used to talk to Avalis from time to time in Mura, just as she'd talked to Akajia, she hadn't in a long time. She hit the dummy again before switching arms. This had become a form of stress relief and a way to calm her body down before meditating and practicing using Djed. Diallo lay out of the way, watching. The birds, including her geese, were tucked into the mews, having bedded down for the night. Raiha's searching for an owl had been put on hold - she didn't like roaming at night without having someone else to hold the fort down, and certainly wasn't about to give the Akalak who doubtless watched the place without her seeing them the idea that she was running off too, even if it was just to look for owls. She swung the mace again and again, losing count of the tally, though Kanikra kept it for her, using it as a gauge of strength and endurance.
You should be furious, you know that? You had to face the inquisition about her whereabouts. She ran off on you without telling you a damn thing. Do friends really do that? Of course they don't, Raiha. You are owed more than just her running off without a word of explanation. Don't give me that what will be, will be shyke. How many nights have you spent awake because you don't know where she is or what happened to you? How irresponsible of her was it to just run off like that? Not a bad night. One hundred twenty nine. Feel better? Stretch out, get comfortable, and practice something. What's it going to be tonight? Shielding? Spiritism? If Kanikra meant to incite her twin, she was very slowly succeeding.
No. I don't. Auristics. Right back at square one, Raiha told her as she put the leather casing back on the mace's head and carried it towards the shade by the tree. She put her back to it and settled down, making herself comfortable as she rested against the rough bark, and closed her eyes and breathed, the weapon in her lap. Meditation was good for her. She called it spring cleaning in her head - if it allowed her to sort out what was going on in her brain, she could think better without her thoughts in a jumble, and her reaction time would be faster. She concentrated on the Djed, and focused on bringing the auras to her vision. When she opened her eyes again in the shade of the tree, the world had changed utterly, with each and every one of the auras now available for her perusal.
Diallo rested in the cool grass beside her, reclining on his belly and listening while she studied the auras of the horses in the paddocks. Soon, some of them would be coming in for the night. Her own mare, Yakini, wouldn't be. But she focused on a foal of mixed parentage, watching the youngling, and began to scry the aura. Filly. Strider cross. Raiha scanned her aura from her nose to her hooves, reading, looking for illnesses or weaknesses that were out of place. That was her way of knowing when something was wrong with the herd. She wasn't a horsewoman like some of the others - birds and dogs were more her area of expertise, but she liked them all anyway. She had just finished her inspection of the filly and was about to pick another one when the song of Makath became louder and clearer still.
Raiha Shadowplayer! She heard the shadows call to her as she let her eyes unfocus, felt them around her arms and limbs. Diallo, too, was getting up and shaking himself off. Raiha Shadowplayer! Someone comes, down the road, the road, the road... Raiha turned her attention there as Diallo got up and began to bark. Coming along the road up to Sanctuary in the twilight hours, Raiha spotted a wagon pulled by a couple of Seme-crosses, leading two Striders. And the auras in the driver's bench were familiar, though she didn't recognize some of the others.
Kavala had come home, and Raiha set off at a trot from her comfortable tree, crossing the twilight-draped land to go and see the Konti, filled with relief, delight, and Kanikra-fueled anger. Raiha's fuse was slow to burn, to the point where none ever really saw it, but Kanikra had raised some very good points, and that fear and frustration had been festering for a while.
