Closed [Tisuma Baths] To take what isn't yours (Marrin)

[Lavira]

You have to trust the system to do what needs to be done. But even Vira knew how unfair the system could be, sometimes, having experienced it first hand. Too often, some of the best people were set into the worst place applicable, ever affording them the chance for advancement.

She had been there, virtually on the bottom.

Her partial blindness should have sent her straight to Dek, but Kaden had recognized the determination she had and knew historically that the then girl would make a fine worker no matter where she went. But he could not raise her past the role of a Chiet without an Avora's apprenticeship. And none in his inquiries had even offered. He had been particularly disappointed by Meera's declination after her previous invitation, cawing that she should have responded sooner. It was only fair.

Fairness could kiss her butt. There had been nothing fair about what happened to her then, and then again in summer this year. Nothing fair about sitting in a hole in absolute agony though that healer, Iosha did everything she could, hoping that a miracle might come and get her and the konti out. There was nothing fair about the nightmares that came each night, often leaving her retching in a bucket. Nothing fair about constantly being mistaken for something less than what you had already staked a claim in and were!

When Marrin agreed to accompany her but would need a moment to dress, she nodded and went just out of sight, standing with her arms crossed and her sopping hair dripping to the floor. Why does this keep happening to me? Can I not have a moments rest before the trauma is thrown upon me again? Just leave me alone for a time...please...

Once Marrin had finished dressing, Vira would let him lead, her shuffled steps slow as they were led to return to the Tisuma entrance to get their shoes. Vira pulled these on, noting that they were still damp but not caring as much otherwise. Only then would she nod him onwards, her head downcast and her eye following his feet as she cried silently.

[Marrin]

Marrin slipped away quickly, gathering up his clothes and turning away from Lavira, simply hopping into his bryda and buckling on his boots before clearing his throat to let her know he was ready to move on. He still felt hesitant, hoping that at any moment she’d retract her decision and allow him to do what he felt had to be done. He wanted this man gone, wanted him thrown into Ivak’s cage and kept there, roasting alive for all time. That would be justice. When she took his arm he began to lead her off, moving slowly to allow her the time she needed. The man was sedated and there was no doubt that hurrying this would only ensure the continuation of her adamant decision. He wanted her to change her mind, and wondered if she didn’t what he would do. Would he be content to simply see him demoted to dek? Or would that simply open the door to allow him to do what he had to do? This man had to be removed from their community. A rapist was a poison, and Marrin could feel it pulsing through the veins of Wind Reach, effecting those that were only vaguely related to his victim. Lavira had been violated. Marrin was incensed, Kovak no doubt would be as well as soon as he heard the news. More people were getting involved than the man had originally intended, a small army of infuriated protectors that had pledged themselves to Lavira in one way or another. She was their Ward. The walk to the Common Rooms was a long one, their steps slow and dragged out not only by her condition but by the severity of the situation. Each tick was dragged out into a chime, each chime a bell, and is seemed like they walked forever. Marrin’s heart shook a little each time Lavira’s body jerked with a silent sob, wishing he could do more than just help the girl home. He had to. The decision had been made. No matter what happened, Marrin would see justice done. This man would find his place at the Crack in the Mountain. He would see Ivak’s cage. If it was the last thing Marrin did, there would be justice for his friend.

[Lavira]

The teen felt absolutely helpless, broadsided by this hellish sequence and unable to stand up now. She walked lethargically, not because she was torn about what to do and whether letting the Valitnar decide was the right thing or not, but because she was bewildered. Had she not done the right thing? Should she have stayed in the pool and let the man push the boundaries? If she had, would anyone else in the previous pool have stepped in if it was needed?

If they hadn't, it would have happened anyways...And she would be in the same situation now, only angrier that people had been there to see what had happened. And do nothing about it.

As they walked, Vira barely noticed the curves and twists in the warrens as they made their way back to the common rooms. She didn't notice the drip of her own wet hair down her back for the way Marrin seemed to be stalling, hoping and waiting that she would change her mind yet. She did not notice the clean up teams they sometimes passed. All the Endal felt was a painful, distressful sense of panic that things would be like last season all over again.

She stopped walking and stared at the ground for a moment, her mind drifting around the pool and the foreigner and the way he had sneered as his hand crept along her body, dominating and intrusive. She could see the thick curve of his jaw clearly in her mind, the bland brown of his eyes and ugly tint of his hair that looked nothing like a true Inartan. Vira could hear the laughter behind the molestations, an unkind snickering as his hand dipped lower and lower, a knee between hers and...

She stopped, clenching her eyes shut and trembling.

Stop thinking about it! Just forget it! Why can't I just turn it out!

A hiccup clanged through her throat as she drew a breath, trying not to melt down. Her hands had locked upon opposite elbows and were gripping hard enough to turn the knuckles solid white. Vira had locked up, her throat constricting and lips pulling back. She felt sure she would lose it there in the hallway for everyone to see. That wouldn't do; that was weakness talking, that was not what she could afford to be seen as! But the image would not leave her head and eventually, the tears came again, her knees tightly pressed against one another and her breaths coming in heavy gasps through her nose as she simply broke down and wept in the warren. No words, just tears.

[Marrin]

Lavira’s sudden hiccup, choking sob and begging gaze surprised Marrin, but was not wholely unexpected. The entire ordeal must have been devastating, being violated in such a way. He couldn’t even imagine, didn’t dare to, for fear that he’d spin it out of proportion and simply go kill the man where he lay this very instant. As she stared up at him, his mouth opened slightly, searching for words of comfort he knew he couldn’t find. The only comfort here would be in justice, in fairness. This man had to be punished. She seemed to collapse inward in that moment, knees folding under her and locked together. She kept a tight grasp on his arm, but none the less he had no idea what to do. He wasn’t sure where he was going; he’d never been to the home of this Kovac she’d talked about. He’d simply been leading her through the Warrens in hopes that she’d be able to point out when they’d reached their destination. It seemed now that it was an impossibility. He glanced around, giving cold glares to those who stopped to stare and gawk at the emotional wreck that Lavira had become. He quickly took in his surroundings, noting where he was in relation to his home. It wasn’t far from here, and it would take Lavira out of the public eye until she calmed down. Without a word, Marrin bent down and scooped the girl into his arms. He’d become stronger this year, bringing in some big game that he had to drag back to his camp site, and Lavira was tiny in comparison. Though he didn’t have the assistance of a Wind Eagle or a moose sled, he was still able to hold the girl close to his chest and make his way, albeit clumsily, back to his cavernous home. Nudging the door open with his foot, he swept the sobbing girl inside, quickly shutting the door and making his way up the steps to set her on his bed. Normally his home was inviting, warm with browns and creamy reds accenting the natural pale grey-brown of the cave walls, but now it just seemed like a cavern of sorrow. He set the girl down slowly on his blanketed mat, making sure she didn’t fall from his grasp and hurt herself physically as much as she toiled emotionally. This was a hard day for Marrin, and one he refused to finish without blood being spilt in the name of justice.

[Lavira]

She had broken down. The walls of her day to day existence typically helped keep her erect. But this afternoon, that was impossible now. The Endal wanted to fight him off, show that she did not need his assistance in even standing and moving, yet what could she have done to stop him? Hit him?

Another gut-wrenching sob climbed through her throat and out her mouth when he lifted her off her feet and headed somewhere that wasn't home. It wasn't the apartment that she and Kovac were temporarily using until the Ivory Aerie was repaired, it was somewhere smaller and comelier. Though her hand stayed against her mouth the walk to this point, the sounds of her wails could still be heard muffled through her palm. She was absolutely miserable.

Once inside and on the bed, Vira wasted no laying down and rolling away from him, her knees drawn tight against her chest and her arms buried somewhere within the mini-cave that had been created as she just wept. Her mind closed to Mohya and her face buried into the blankets and pillows of his bed, letting it muffle the half-screams that built up and burst out. This went on for chimes, Vira sometimes talking into the bed between sobs, sometimes shouting, other times just weeping in silence.

She had completely broken down, the build up of it all having reached a head once again. Things had not been all that bad this season, to be honest. She'd bonded and raised out of Chiet, but the changes had been difficult was the judgements and scrutiny from her other fellow caste members made it challenging. They expected her to fail, to probably even fall again at some point! And now this happens?

For thirty chimes this went on before the young woman at last began to quiet, sniffling with her back to the room and eyes on the wall, emotionally numb at last.

[Marrin]

Marrin was clueless, having no idea what to do with someone in such a distressed state. He hadn’t had to deal with people who had this much trauma and stress upon their shoulders, as hunting allowed him a mostly solitary existence. However, this constant separation from people lead to situations like this, where something was happening and all he could do was panic. As she curled up on his bed, he watched her for a moment as he tried to figure out what to do. She was trembling, sobbing, and looked like she may be a danger to herself if left alone for too long. Fleet on his feet, he scuttled through the one room apartment to grab his waterskin, which held fresh stream water from his last hunting trip rather than the poisoned water that had recently polluted the mountain and made the people of Wind Reach ill. He laid the corked pouch beside her, within reach so that if she desired to take a drink she easily could. Next he pulled the covers of the bed over her, hoping that warming her up would put an end to her shivering. It didn’t seem to, and he listened in silence as at times she spoke, other times screamed and sometimes simply wept into his pillows. He slowly lowered himself onto the edge of the bed, trying to think of something to calm her, anything at all. It came to him like a wave, the memories of his childhood washing over him. He’d had days like this. Well, perhaps not exactly like this, but prior to his Yasihood he’d had some days where he’d been so upset he couldn’t get out of bed. There were days where his thoughts plagued him, when all he could think about was how absolutely different he was from everyone else. The kids around him scorned him, bullied him because of his hair and his eyes. He was so obviously not one of them… and when he had those days, his mother would run her fingers through his hair and coo softly to him until he calmed down. Perhaps the same thing would help Lavira now. Tentatively he reached out with one hand, trying not to startle her with his touch. She seemed to trust him well enough, and all he wanted was to make her calm down. If he only intensified the situation, no good would come of it. Gently he interlaced his fingers with her hair, gently massaging her scalp with his fingers and toying with her damp hair, being careful not to tug. ”Shhhh… it’s alright… you’re safe now,” he murmered, though he doubted she’d hear him over her own sobs. He remembered, however, that sometimes it wasn’t what they were saying that mattered, but simply that they were there for you and willing to pay attention to you. ”I’m here… you’re safe.” And he stayed that way for half a bell, slowly calming her until she was quiet. He wondered for a moment if she’d fallen asleep, her silence making him uncertain. She didn’t seem relaxed, but crying for so long must have been exhausting. So he waited for her to do something in hopes that he hadn’t made the situation any worse.

[Lavira]

Vira was grateful for the comfort and compassion Marrin tried to offer, even if she could not immediately express it. After this disaster, she truly wanted to go home and curl up in her bed and just weep and weep until it had been drowned in her tears and the reassuring warmth of Kovac's weathered arms could hold her safe and sure. But for the moment, the caress of a friends hand over her head would have to suffice.

With a quivering sigh, the Endal rolled onto her back beneath the blankets which had been drawn over her and stared at the ceiling, her eyes red and swollen from the crying and her cheeks aflame. "If it is not one thing, it is another." She finally murmured, her brow knitting and her right hand lifting from the bed to rub her palm over both eyes to try and discourage the tears from them. "It feels as if the world has risen against me, Marrin, sure to see me truly fall, when all I want to do is survive. And if it hasn't risen against me, what am I being tested for? And why now when things...when things have just begun..." She sniffled, her nose wrinkling for a moment before she calmed and exhaled.

"Why must every ounce of happiness be served with ten ounces of humiliation and defeat?"

Her query was rhetorical, though, as Vira swung her legs off the bed and sat up, staring at the ground, her bloodshot eye unblinking. "I just want to catch a break, you know, just once, that doesn't come at some awful price."

There was another, longer sigh now and her head finally turned towards the young man. "I need to get home. Mohya's in a panic and if Kovac is there, he may be as well. It's them I should be with right now." The teen then leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing it tightly and then releasing. "You are an invaluable friend, Marrin. Don't ever let that change."