First Steps into the World [Tabarnac + Lucette]

[Lucette]

Spring 10, 511 AV Life without Roland was at first difficult for the Kelvic. And though Lucette was often happier than she had ever been before, the man’s trainings and punishments still held heavy sway over her actions. But then Justus always seemed to be near when the girl was in an agitated state; somehow knowing what measures would ease her very emotional transition into the Temple. After their first feral night together, Lucette had begun to understand… She could not leave Denval to find her lost Bondmate. Justus now claimed her. And to her Kelvic’s naive mind, it made perfect sense; ownership should belong to the stronger man. Lucette blinked slowly, her full lips upturned as remembrances of the animalistic night with Justus played in her mind. As the new realizations settled in her awareness, more freedoms were offered to the well-behaved Lucette. During her first week, she had harmed not one person, not even when she had padded through the Temple, exploring the hushed hallways and was startled by a pair of rowdy love-makers in the once quiet hallway. Now at the end of her first week, Lucette dared to think about going outside the Temple. Alone. Never had she wished for such a thing with Roland. The robust and reddened man would not have allowed it. But here with Justus, and the other Temple servants, she did not feel so incased by rules. The naïve Kelvic was ready to expand outwards! Lucette stood too near the closed door, one palm open against its surface. She wanted beyond it and out into the world, or at least to the small space in front of the building. Hesitating, the girl rocked on her heels, as if she could feel the freedom within the wooden boards of the door. Lucette’s senses were on edge, she had never been out alone. Go! Her feline mind urged! Go! But Roland had always been with her, his heavy hand upon her arm or shoulder, as if the thought of losing her was unbearable... The Kelvic frowned. Roland had not lost her… he had given her away. The hurt was almost debilitating. Her hand reached up to touch at the collar, but it was not there. Panic rose in Lucette’s fierce and wild eyes. And even as she stood in the flowing, cream garment with the tiny catch at her collarbone, the animal within wanted out. Without warning the door opened into her hand, and the Kelvic jumped up and back in an effort to avoid it. Truly, she overreacted, but just as intently, Lucette’s eyes peered beyond the door, to see what they would. The view was blocked by a few incoming patrons, and slowly, the door shut behind them once more. The Kelvic’s head lowered, disappointment prominent. How she longed to go! But Lucette could not do it, her trainings at Roland’s hand were too strong and vivid still, and her almond shaped eyes began to swell with tears. She was too afraid.

[Tabarnac]

"Ya c'n go out if ya want, y'know," drawled a soft baritone from behind her. A slender young man stood there, of middling height, yet taller than her. His hair was a dark, dirty blond that looked like it might shine a more precious gold if it were washed and properly cared for. The eyes were a pale gray, though outside they might very well reflect the sky's blue. His skin was washed out as though he were some vespertine creature who feared Syna's eye. There was something ineffably mournful about him, eyes too knowing, yet not quite there. Still, they were the sort of eyes that saw too much, his quiet giving the impression of the serenity of a beaten dog given safe haven, something to eat, a kind hand. An artist might very well stare at him for hours, marveling at the cherubic face that bore the pain of a young man the world had repeatedly shit upon. He took a breath as if to steady himself and attempted a smile, nodding toward the door. "Let's go ou'side, huh?" He spoke like nobody else in Denval, and indeed, he wasn't a local. "Jus' talked to Papa Justus. He's takin' a nap. Said y'should go out an' see the place. Said Ah should go wit' ya. Don' get out much, but Ah know m'way aroun'." His hand came up to his mouth as if he would bite at nonexistent fingernails, and when his long sleeve fell away, she could see blood-red tattoos along the veins of his hand. Catching his bad habit, he shoved his hands deep into his pockets, deep pockets, his clothes looking almost too big for him, or just draped in such a way that he looked a bit of a ragamuffin even if he was grown, even if he was relatively clean. "What d'ya say?"

[Lucette]

“I –I can not…” Lucette said tearfully, yet truthfully as she twisted her head to look back at the young man that had spoken. The rest of her body turned a moment later. This human was different than the others the Kelvic had met in the Temple. He looked sad, and removed from this place. Was he ill? Intrigued by him, Lucette lifted her head to better study him more closely, and she stepped nearer as her back lengthened by way of a small, sultry roll. He spoke strangely as well. “You would go with me?” Immediately the softest of smiles rose to touch her auburn eyes. “I can’t go alone… ” she explained, offering no details. The Kelvic’s gaze lowered to the red tattooed hands. Thinking the marks simply some form of body ornamentation, she did not ask, though if he proved to be willing to accept her interest or questions, then later she would inquire more about them. The man would be her companion for a time; Justus had said so. And now Lucette looked to the young man to guide her, and the easy trust she gave was apparent upon her face as she looked up to him. And she was responsible for him now too, in her own submissive way. She did not have Justus’ marks, and it was hard for her to know what the man needed from her. But because she was who she was, she did as she was want to do for Roland… or now Justus… The Kelvic slid next to him, her gentle hand entwined around his arm, as her body brushed his, and her shoulder lifted to bump against him. It was a unconscious greeting from her feline side. Then she moved, leaving space once more between them. “I am Lucette… please? Tell me yours? I would follow you.” And arms still entwined, she let him lead where he would. As they walked through the door Lucette asked innocently of the beautifully, peculiar man, “Are you afraid to go also?” for she could see nothing that might be the cause of his sadness.

[Tabarnac]

He nodded to her first question, and grew quite still when she touched him. There was the faintest of shudders running through him, not of revulsion, no, but a lightning signal from her skin to his insides demanding that he do for her what she needed. He tried to push it off, but was only marginally successful, weary as he was from whatever were his trials. They would have to be manifold to maintain the reservoir of melancholy that one might sense in him even at his happiest. His back straightened a bit as if tapping into some hidden strength, and her twining arm was more like the vine of a tomato growing up the support of a spindly rack. "Mos' people jus' call me Jey," he said, dropping his forehead to her shoulder and then rubbing his cheek along it once or twice as if marking her the way a cat would. There were several people in the Temple who would begin to react just right to her, adopting feline pack mentality whenever she was around. "An' yeah, Ah'm afraid, but not so much wit' ya here on m'arm." Whether it was her presence that bolstered his courage or her need for strength that brought up a wellspring within him was anyone's guess, but he smiled, something muted but so subtly sweet that one's teeth might crumble or heartstrings whine. Then he opened the door and helped her back out into the world. The Temple was likened by many to a womb, for one came out reborn sometimes. "Wha' d'ya wanna see?" he asked, her less driving needs obscured to him by his resistance to instant and utter subservience and the white noise of her more primal needs.

[Lucette]

“Jey…” Lucette repeated the short name, drawing out the sound of it. She did not know how her touch affected him, but the physicalness of his greeting brightened her expression. Her chin in turn lifted in response to him, and the breath came slowly from her long, pale throat. The instinctual comfort from his touch pleased her, for Roland had never understood the Kelvic’s need for feline ritual. Each time she received it in the Temple, she felt more at home, and more connected to the people around her. It also served to take her farther away from her lost, fat bondmate. Lucette’s eyes half closed and she clung contentedly to the beautifully, sad man. Concern came upon the heels of trust, for the girl couldn’t imagine that Jey would fear as she did, especially as he seemed so… special. “If being on your arm keeps you from fear, I shall not leave it!” the Kelvic declared protectively. She had to protect him, for he gave her strength to go out into the world. As they walked, Lucette asked, “But why? Why do you fear? When Justus gave his approval?” That man’s approval was enough for her, especially now with Jey at her side. She needed boundaries, and she needed guidance, otherwise she felt lost. Her light hand squeezed his red marked hand. Lucette did not understand, and said again, “And yet you still fear, knowing that it is alright to leave the Temple? Why?” Her head cocked as they walked, but her mind caught another thread, and a contained excitement was very much evident in her voice as she exclaimed, “I may choose where we go? You will let me?” She pulled him then, her long legs easily moving upon the street in long strides. The instinctual urge to explore, and to know her surroundings was strong. But she slowed, and suddenly looked back at Jae. A hunger filled her that she had almost forgotten in her excitement. Lucette had not eaten since her last Kelvic transformation from Cheetah to human, and it had taxed her body, and depleted her energy. “Would we be allowed to eat?” she asked, looking up at him, cautious hope in her eyes. The new desire, the endless hunger of her kind was almost insatiable. Her eyes shifted with need, the wildness settling within them. Could Jey be persuaded to go somewhere like that? To eat without an owner present? Lucette smiled softly, her eyes reflective and bright, and she brought herself in closer to the man. “Please? Could we go to eat? Would you take me?”

[Tabarnac]

If Lucette needed a cat-like companion, Jey would be her pussycat, but since she also needed a bit of direction before she would take a few steps of her own volition, he also carried the word and authority of Justus as well. He smiled at her declaration, appreciating it even as he conformed to what she needed. There was solace in letting go and letting her needs dominate his own. He barely even paused to consider whether he wanted to tell her about his fear or not. She wanted to hear it, make it tangible in the air, the better to combat it. He spoke. "It ain't so much a fear 'a leavin' da Temple. Justus'd let me sail fa Mura if Ah asked." He paused and considered. "Ya might hear da chapl'in 'a Aquiras talkin' 'bout internalizin' da journey... Dat's... fancy words, but... Don't matter where Ah go, Ah got da fear inside. Dese..." He pointed at the red veins tattooed to his right hand. "Dat's da gnosis 'a da goddess 'a pain. Means Ah gotta... Ah gotta cause pain t'escape pain. An' Ah don' like hurtin' people. So... dat's my burden." When that pronouncement quieted her questions for a moment, he answered the rest of them. "We c'n eat. Dere's da Raster Market... Theo might have some stuff fa sale. Dere's da Stranger's Welcome, too. Oleg makes degtine... dat's like fire water... and dere's food..."

[Lucette]

Lucette watched Jey’s mouth form the words ‘interalzin da journey’, the Kelvic looked at him blankly. She had no idea what that meant, but it seemed to hold meaning for him, so she smiled and nodded as if she understood. Immediately her whole head shifted to where he pointed to the tortured red veins. The markings upon them did not seem to be tattoos as Lucette first suspected, but some thing darker. Closely she looked again. The fear was there… he said. Lucette’s face clearly showed confusion, but as Jey explained further, comprehension dawned on her face as her whole body flinched. The Kelvic couldn’t help it, as he said he had to cause pain. “You hurt people...” the girl said. “But you don’t want to?” she added hopefully. Her hand, so firm upon his arm only a moment before, suddenly became lighter, but still there hovered, ready to pull away quickly if the young man moved too harm her. “Who? Who do you hurt?” She whispered cautiously, “Would you hurt me? Roland did…” Lucette offered sadly, as her eyes went distant in remembrances of the past and her body shifted uneasily. The Kelvic had never had a burden such as his, and it made her uneasy and nervous, especially since she could not readily comprehend the extent of what made him do harm others. Not knowing what else to say, Lucette fell silent, and ever watchful. But then Jey spoke of food. And fire water. “Fire Water? Do you like this? At the Stranger’s Welcome?” she asked, “Roland never allowed me anything stronger than wine… I would like to eat…there.” She added tentatively. Markets were too chaotic and noisy for the Kelvic, but her words were phrased more as a question than a statement, in case Jey wished to go elsewhere. Lucette was afraid to disappoint, for now she thought that would give him cause him to hurt her.

[Tabarnac]

Jey shook his head, though the look on his face was conflicted. Clearly her need to know was pulling out his secrets, but it seemed to hurt almost as much as if she were pulling out his guts hand over hand. He made a few false starts, then continued explaining. "Ah don' wanna when Ah'm in m'right mind, but when da pain gets big 'nough... Ah do wanna. Jus' ta make it stop." He sighed, rubbed his face, fully aware that her reaction was not positive. "Dere's people as like pain wit' dere sex an'... an' Ah help dem, because Ah c'n cause a lotta pain wit'out a lotta damage. Ah wouldn' hurt'cha. Usually Papa Justus lets me hurt 'im ta make mah pain go 'way." He was leading her downhill through the colorfully painted houses toward the quay where her ship had come in. "Da fire water's good, yea. Well, burns. An' some people don' like it at firs', but den dey do... It's funny like dat." Out of the blue sky came a flapping of feathers fit to startle any cat, but Jey seemed nonplussed as a juvenile gull landed on his shoulder, awkwardly trying to balance there on its webbed feet. It continually tugged at his hair with its beak, and one might even think it was affectionate. "Oh, hi, Jolan."

[Lucette]

“But Jey… why would he do it? Let you hurt him like that?” The Kelvic wanted to know. And each explanation only fueled the urge to understand more, her experiences were so limited. She thought of the time she had spent with Justus with sweet fondness, but he had not appeared to her to be the kind of man that submitted. “Most people wouldn’t unless they were forced…” as she had been forced, to accept Roland’s beatings. She did not yet grasp the full extent of Nakali’s gnosis, though she knew many carried the goddess’ mark in the Temple, and there were those that claimed the mark enhanced their willingness to help others. “Nakali… makes him to do it? Even if he doesn’t want to…” She did not like the sound of it, to be made to do something that did not feel good. Lucette wanted to know more… about everything, even of the fire water. But before a new question could leave her lips, the unmistakable sound of a bird, its feathers flapping, filled her ears. The Kelvic jumped, startled, and the upper part of her body crouched low in response. A gull… so very close. The instinctual need to capture it, to snatch it off of Jey’s shoulder overwhelmed the girl. Never had a bird been so close. Her heart beat more quickly and the Kelvic’s narrowed eyes never left it, even as Jey offered greeting. A soft pink tongue licked her full lips, and she felt the hardness of her teeth. A tickle at the back of her mind told her to bring the Cheetah forth, but Lucette was not yet in conscious control of her transformations. The idea that she could change whenever she wished was still foreign and forgotten as the gull took all her attention. Slowly, stealthily Lucette reached out with one hand towards its skinny fragile leg. It was not a conscious thought, but the desire to grab it, to eat it was too great for Lucette to ignore.

[Tabarnac]

"B'cause he loves me," he said simply, for he knew no other way to love but through sacrifice. His gray eyed gaze fixed on her curiously for a moment, then erred toward the mottled plumage of the gull. If only he spoke with birds like the fabled Chaktawe favored by their patron deity, but he generally knew what Jolan wanted: food and shiny things. Lucette was certainly shiny and new. "Miss Lucette, dis Jolan. Jolan, dis Lucette. She's new at da Temple." He caught the edge of her need when her hand brushed his shoulder, and he cleared his throat apologetically. "Dey say he's related t' da Cap'n. I'd not eat 'im if Ah was you." The cocky bird mantled its wings at her when he heard what she was about, but this sent him sprawling off Jolan's shoulder with a squawk, his fall luckily broken by Jey's quick hands.