I Don't Know You[Aella/Jaeden/Satu]

[Satu]

80th Day of Fall, 210 A.V. Red leaves floated quietly on the surface of the small pool where Satu knelt at the waters edge. Her gaunt face moved closer to study each ripple that ran through the dark water. Strands of white hair trailed into the pool, only to be tugged gently by the slight current. It was then that the Konti noticed the face staring back at her. She understood it was her own, but it felt as if it belonged to someone else. Her eyes traveled over the reflection, detail by detail, and noted the dirt streak across one cheek and the disruptive mane that framed her face. Satu raised her eyebrows and then crinkled her nose, and the reflected face mimicked her actions! Leaning further toward the water, she stared at the innocent face beneath her, until it shifted once more into a sly knowing. “Oh!” and the face appeared young once more, “How do you know?” she demanded quietly of the water, as the changes in her reflection transformed both faces. Gripping the rocks with her fingers, she asked again, “How do you know who I am?” So near to the surface of the water was Satu that it looked as if the Konti might simply fall into the pool and swim away. How the Konti longed for water! But hunger drove her to land, and instead of submerging herself in the shallow pool, she stood, and the motion caused her cloak to slide off one shoulder and partially reveal the worked leather of Myrian make beneath it. The Konti appeared not to notice as the cloak’s hem drifted into the water, its ruffled edge soaking up the muddy moisture. Normally, Satu needed only light, plant-based sustenance, but as the weather turned colder with the approach of winter, the number of edible plants she was familiar with dwindled in number. In her last caravan, she had rudely refused the meat that was kindly offered, as her delicate system did not allow for the heavier flesh of animals. Now, out in the wilderness, alone once more, the Konti felt the lack of nourishment strongly. Satu was weak, weaker than she realized as she came upon a clearing. Without thought of silence or stealth Satu stumbled to the edge of it.

[Aella]

They had made their camp in the clearing. With all their work done, or at least some of it, she had managed to convince the fellow with her to step into the tent. Of course, considering the gentleman, it didn’t take much work. So… That’s where Aella was. “Shh, shut up for a second,” she said, shoving her hand over Jaeden’s mouth. Her voice dropped down, “I think I hear something… Where’s Red?” She didn’t remove her hand to allow him to speak. Instead she squinted, listening to try to listen. When she couldn’t hear anything, she wandered off to stick her head out the tent flap. “Stop breathing,” she suggested to Jaeden as she looked around. Not seeing anything, she wasn’t one to write off a random sound coming to her ears until she was absolutely certain no bandits were going to attack. She turned to go back into the tent. Grabbing onto her tunic, she threw it over her head. Then she picked up her bow and quiver before stepping back out of the tent to start looking around again.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden and Aella had been going at it for close to two bells by then, their bodies slightly drenched in sweat and the cool breeze filtering in from the slivered opening of the tent did little to help that. He was getting to that pivotal moment as he could feel goose bumps, like tiny soft needles, rising all over his body in the approaching moment of ecstasy. Then it was all shot to hell as Aella covered his mouth and stopped both their movements. “Oh shyke, not now!” Jaeden groaned as his brow scrunched up, forming knots above his eyes. “What do you mean “Where is Red?” She’s licking the back of your thigh in her fox form. Not noticing that will hurt her feelings you know.” Jaeden continued in a whisper.

Aella then crawled off Jaeden’s form, starting peek her head outside of the tent. Jaeden gave a pained expression as he whimpered and looked down. “Oh gods, they’re turning blue.” Jaeden complained in a hushed tone as Red perked her head up, her ears twitching. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? There’s no one out there.”

“No, there is. I can hear them now to, and smell them a little.” Red’s voice then echoed into Jaeden’s head.

“Oh for Petch’s sake.” Jaeden echoed back to Red as he slowly sat up, reaching out for his longsword. “How many?”

“Can’t tell.” Red echoed into Jaeden’s head. “It’s difficult to smell past all the sex in here, but I heard one set of foot steps coming to a stop near the edge of the clearing.”

“That’s it,” Jaeden had finally said with a huffed voice as he drew his longsword, following Aella outside of the tent, not bothering to cover himself up as she had, “I can tolerate people interrupting a meal, hunt or sleep when they want to enslave or rob me, but sex is sacred. Someone is getting a whuppin’.”

Jaeden’s bare feet stomped along the ground as Red came shooting out of the tent and making a strait run for the forest cover, getting ready to circle around whoever it was that had intruded in case their intentions were violent. As Jaeden began moving around the tent, looking along the clearing, his gaze finally hit the lone traveler. Her frame sluggish and almost seeming to be dazed. Jaeden’s eyes narrowed however as he followed the curves from the feet all the way up, finding a vague familiarity in it. When he saw her face, finally, his realization had hit him. It had been years, and her body looked slimmer than it had when he had first met her, but he never forgot a woman. “When the hell did you leave the island?” Jaeden said as he lowered his sword idly by his side, raising his hand to Aella to lower her bow if she had been aiming it.

When Satu would look up, she would see that familiar face of Jaeden’s, if she could get past that offending appendage of his that seemed to still be standing upright and pointing at her in an accusingly suggestive manner.

[Satu]

Satu stopped at the edge of the clearing. A campsite! The snap under her foot was unmistakable as she stepped on a damnable twig. Hovering on tiptoes; she froze, for she knew better than to approach! It could be anyone’s camp, a man’s or a slaver’s, but the Konti had to see if they had food. Her eyes traveled about the clearing noting where everything lay. And… whispers! Silently her hands lowered to the pair of suvai strapped to her hips. Not enough time! Her stomach grumbled, reminding her of why she was there. Quickly! Her eyes circled the campsite for anything edible to grab, while her mouth watered at the thought of sustenance. But instead of finding food, the Konti spied someone stepping into view; it was a short woman holding a bow and arrow. Slowly Satu took a step back while carefully holding the suvai, unsure if she had been seen. More footsteps! A large, naked man stomped towards her, his sex pointed threateningly in her direction. Satu’s blue eyes widened, panic easily seen upon her features. She was caught! She was caught again, her mind warned! Unwanted memories threatened to return, as his offending appendage threatened her. Satu shook her head. No, no, no! They would not hurt her again! Raising her gaze, she took in the man’s face, and then frowned. It had been many years since Satu had seen him. Too much had happened to the Konti for her to remember a summer day, three years in the past. It was a lifetime to the HeartSeer. And so she became confused. Was this naked man one of the guards that had attacked her? Satu swallowed heavily and looked around. Where were his guardsmen? Satu looked at the woman, wondering briefly who she was, but the man spoke, “When the hell did you leave the island?” But Satu heard the words as “When the hell did you leave…?” Gripping the suvai tightly, Satu sank automatically into the Wandering Minstrel Stance, with her weapons lifted. In her softly accented common, she warned, “Do not come near me again! Do not! I will not go back with you!” Lightheadedness washed over her then as she swayed, inwardly cursing the unintentional movement. Adjusting a foot, she retained her balance, but a hardness had settled in her eyes, “This time your friends are not here to help you, and you will not find it so easy to take me!”

[Aella]

“Shut up, you big baby… I’m not that mean to you,” snapped the woman, clearly annoyed that they’d be interrupted. Though, as she scanned the area, waiting for Jaeden to join her, she made a mental note to ask Red not to lick her while small and furry. It was too creepy even for her. She saw Jaeden motion for her to lower her weapon before she actually saw the woman. The bow was dropped to her side, arrow tucked away into the quiver. When she looked up again, she saw the Konti. An eyebrow lifted up even as she took a long, appreciative look over her. Despite having heard stories of them, she’d never actually seen one of the race in person. “Uh…” Elegant. Understated. Aella Vlaclav was a woman of poetry and sweetly spoken words. Or maybe not. Standing back, she watched as Satu lifted her weapon and took a defensive stance. Between that action and the words spoken between the two of them, she was rather certain she had no idea what was going on – Though apparently Jaeden had been an shyke about something. Even if that didn’t seem much like the Jaeden she’d come to know. For just one day she’d like to get through at least half of it without fighting… “Lower your weapons. She gave a glance to Jaeden, noting his sword had already been put to his side. Her light eyes bounced downwards, though, noting the state of certain parts of him before adding, “Both of you.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden quirked his brow at Satu as she rose her suvai upward, holding a defensive posture as she uttered her words at him, a certain malice in her voice spurned by fear. He didn’t want to believe it, but on some subconscious level, even without Ranuri, he knew. “Shyke.” Jaeden muttered under his breath as he normal jovial face turned to one of a somber sympathy.

Jaeden’s head slowly turned to Aella as she spoke, but his eyes remained on Satu. His life combating slavers, raiders and bandits had shown him the visage many of their surviving victims had taken on as well. He assumed the same had happened to Satu, and it both pained and enraged him to a certain extent. “Right, well it’s sort of difficult to do that on cue Aella.” Jaeden said as he began shuffling his feet back towards the tent, keeping his posture faced towards Satu and eyeing her movements. “I’m not certain how skilled she is, just keep your distance from her.”

Jaeden then ducked behind the tent for a moment, a subtle rustling heard as he grabbed at his pants and began slipping them on. “I’m behind her, do you want me to try and bring her to the ground?” Red’s voice echoed, popping into Jaeden’s head through their bond.

“No, just hold your ground and stay out of sight.” Jaeden projected back to Red before slipping back out from behind the tent, fastening his pants so that he was covered now.

Jaeden jabbed his sword into the ground, holding in before him in a non-threatening manner as he looked to Satu with a calm look in his eyes. “Satu,” Jaeden then suddenly called out, his gaze moving across the distance between them to meet with her own, his dialect suddenly shifting to speak in the tongue of her native race, so much more fluently than when they had last spoken years ago. “You knew me before you even left the island. You knew what my heart held inside of it. It is true that I had a sexual wanting for the fairer gender, and to this day that still remains true. But, you also knew that I never ever wanted such through force, that I desired such wanting in return from those I coupled with. You discovered it all through your Heartseer. You discovered that, despite my lustful nature, that I was good, and that I could be trusted.”

Jaeden then pulled his sword free from the ground, tossing it aside as he then stood before Satu, his hands empty and arms opened. “You look as though you’ve been without rest for far too long, so your mind is likely playing tricks on you, your fatigue confusing your common sense.” Jaeden then said, still speaking in Kontinese. “Your heartseer never lied to you however. Listen to your heart now. What does it tell you of me?”

If Satu took such advice, if she reached out and connected to Jaeden’s heart, sensing his feelings, it would reveal what he tried to express physically at that moment. She would sense that he was concerned for her, wanted to help. That he had no intention at all of harming her, save for in defense of himself if she moved forward to attack. Even the normal lustful tendencies that she might have remembered Jaeden had were diminished. They remained, but his concern for her far overtook such tendencies. Jaeden then simply offered his open hand to Satu, that warm, inviting smile she had seen him display in their first encounter on his face once again. “You look hungry, tired. You won’t find anyone at my camp looking to openly initiate a fight with you Satu,” Jaeden then said, his hand still extended to her but the distance between them still there. “So please, eat and take some rest. If you feel up to it after, you can explain who hurt you and who is after you.”

[Satu]

Satu watched them, her weapons at ready, eyes shifting from the man to the woman, and back again. It was hard to discern who was in charge of this little camp. At the man’s insistence, the woman put away her bow, but then the man retreated into the tent at the woman’s words. Left alone with the woman, they gazed silently at one another as Satu searched her Heart and saw that interest displaced the Annoyance that was previously there. Satu was not frightened of the woman, though it was easy to see the suvai wielder relaxed considerably after the naked man left, and her underlying fear was lifted. The Konti’s attention remained on the woman, and she waited and - the smell of cooking! Her head turned briefly, and her eyes shifted to see what it was roasting and her mouth watered. The man returned partially clothed then, Sympathy nestled in his Heart. Sympathy? For her? Did he think her Weak? She would show him how Weak she was not! Her weapons lifted once more in warning as she stood in the defensive stance. But the leading suvai shook in Satu’s hand, hunger and fatigue overcoming her deadly resolve. Still, even distracted, as she was, the Konti gave the impression she knew how to wield the small, white bones. He surprised her by sticking his sword in the ground as he said, “Satu.” Her sapphire eyes flew up from where they had rested upon the sword. He knew her name! How did he know? Then he spoke in Kontinese… and her balanced threatened once more to topple her, though her icy eyes were locked on his. He wanted her to remember the past. It was difficult for her to go there, and her expression while questioning, became sad. “My HeartSense?” she asked in Kontinese, then corrected him. “I am the HeartSeer.” So slowly did her past memories of Mura surface. The suvai fighter studied the man’s face. What men had she known there? There could not have been many…Had there been any that truly deserved trust? And her eyes traveled lower, to his abdomen and stomach. Seeming to settle there, Satu remembered the look of him, next to the water one sunny, summer day. She spoke across the years. “You were wet. And Lustful. Did I trust you then?” She said vacantly, the fog thick about the memory. The remembrance had not touched her voice, though the tone was as Jaeden remembered, lilting bells and tinkling chimes. Yet still it lacked the remembered warmth. And she had not lowered her weapons. His sword was tossed aside and Satu looked up again to give a tired look to the woman. Was this a trick? Satu readjusted her feet in the dirt and the suvai lowered slightly. It was hard to remain still. Jaeden’s open hands beckoned her, and his words were smooth and soothing, Listen to your Heart now. What does it tell you of me? He asked the confused Konti, hands still extended. Concern! A Heart full of it! That is what she felt, though she did not understand that it was concern for her. And always his underlying Lust. But it was not the violent kind like so many of the men she had met; this was more open and accepting. She was tired and the cloak threatened to slide off one shoulder. Slowly her hands lowered to her sides as his words washed over her fears. “I would eat,” she said. The smell of food filled her nostrils, and it was all she could do to stay focused on the two. If this was a trick, let her eat first, and then they would have a deadly dance. Taking a step forward, she stopped out of his arms reach; she could go no closer yet. Though she looked up in surprise, at the tall man, “Hurt me?” she asked. “Why would someone wish to hurt me? I am being shown the way. But the path is difficult, Jaeden.” She said, remembering his name, as she sheathed her suvai and turned her head to look for food.

[Aella]

“She’s not pissed at me,” Aella noted quietly. The small woman stood there as he left, eyes locked on the wondrous Konti. Her green eyes searched over her curiously without a single thought of not doing so. Social grace was not something she needed to use very often. She watched the fear move away with Jaeden. The curiosity simply grew, wondering about the history of all involved both together and separate. Aella smiled then, something she didn’t do nearly enough, and simply continued to peer. She took the initiative to put down her quiver and bow. It didn’t seem to really bother her that she had no idea what they were saying. She stood patiently at the side, never taking her eyes off of Satu with a strange type of calm one only found at odd moments like these. Instead she fearlessly reached her own hand out in offering to Satu as she stepped closer, fingers splayed out and palm up. “Come sit,” she said in Common, probably sweeter than Jaeden had ever heard from her before. “Eat and rest. You’re tired. It’s safe here.”

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden slowly stepped to the side, giving Satu birth to move. “You trusted me enough to spend time with me, give me company while I was wounded.” Jaeden let his arms rest along his side then, beginning to speak common once again. “Used divination to look into my past. You were reserved, timid. You’re reserved still, but not so timid anymore. You’re defensively hostile.”

Jaeden then looked down to the suvai as they rested in her hands. “That’s why I think someone already has, Satu.” Jaeden finally said before looking towards the fire as Aella invited Satu to rest and eat. “Very true, you can tell us of your path and the difficulties Satu, but first, just get some food in you and give your feet a rest.”

Jaeden then slowly turned, moving towards the fire, a short moment given as his back was shown to Satu when he did so. It was a moment of vulnerability presented to Satu, but whether he did this because he felt that he trusted the danger had passed, or because he was taking a gambled risk to make Satu feel more calmed couldn’t be known for certain. In the end, Jaeden simply moved towards the camp fire kneeling down as he pulled some fish that had been cooking over the fire, laying them down along some brass plates. “Come on then, let’s have some food.”

[Satu]

Satu had taken a few steps, and though she looked weary and worn, a regal air surrounded her as she lifted her chin and thought. Jaeden had been wounded when she first met him… and the memory returned slowly. His leg had been broken, it was summer then and he had been half naked. It seemed odd to her now that she had met him twice, and each time he was without clothes. Turning her head, she looked at his leg now, and then at his face. He had not changed much, only aged a bit. But the HeartSeer, she was almost a completely different person than that carefree girl from Mura. Before, she had been a true innocent, and now the innocence that remained was of a different quality and focus. “I am a door mouse no longer,” Satu said in response to Jaeden, though no one who knew her back on the Island would have ever called her that, maybe a lively suvai fighter, with a joy of life and living. It was only around men that she was considered timid, not having been exposed to their strange ways. “And hostile, yes,” she smiled to think of her glorious time with the Myrians. “There are people who are not so… welcoming…” and her eyes rested upon the woman’s smile. Within the woman’s Heart lay the smile, and Satu felt her own widen to match it and return the smile, glorious and radiant. The Konti let her gaze drop, carefully eyeing the small hand extended out towards her. The woman’s weapons were gone and Jaeden’s weapons were also discarded. It seemed such a simple thing to go to them. For food! For rest! They both spoke so calmly, and their emotions comforted and soothed her fears. She was too tired to fight, but perhaps later, her overworked mind decided. And then Jaeden turned his back upon her; a Myrian would not have done it. Satu was surprised; it was not a Weak move. But the smell of food in the air only increased her hunger, and Satu could fight it no longer, so quickly she was she fading. With a soft step, Satu stepped towards the woman, her pale fingers reached out to take the smaller hand in hers. In heavily accented common Satu spoke, her voice clear, “Thank you, I am tired yes,” as if she had just been invited to tea and the trip there had been merely uncomfortable, instead of containing the horrifying terrors that it had. Her hand trembled. “You are very kind, the journey was long...”