[Temple of Nikali] Dusk (Lucette)

[Veldrys]

Timestamp: Fall 70, 511 AV

It was nearly dark as the Symenestra made his way to the Temple of Nikali. His day had been busy, as usual. He had made his rounds in the city and visited those that were in need of healing – although there were still a few people that refused to even by touched by a Symenestra – and then he had retreated to the Temple of Viratas to pray. He enjoyed being close to his god. The day that Viratas had marked him had been the best day of his life, but there was a void in his heart that even the blood god and all the prayers in the world couldn’t fill.

Even a Symenestra, even a man whose kiss was venomous and whose love could kill needed the company of another being every once in a while. Even a Symenestra who had vowed to himself that he would never condemn a woman to the cruel fate that awaited most that dared to share a Symenestra’s bed wanted to be close to somebody. Even a Symenestra wanted to be touched and kissed and touch and kiss in return and forget the cruel, brutal world around him for a while. Even a Symenestra who was acutely aware of what harm he could cause didn’t want to be alone all the time.

The Kelvic Lucette was the only woman in Denval that he had allowed himself to get close to. When he was with her, he was at peace, happy. When he was with her, he was just another man, and the things that troubled him, that troubled every member of his race, were far away. When he was with her, nothing else mattered.

Sometimes he wished he could be in the temple forever. If he spent his life among those that served Nikali, would the pain stop?

As the sun disappeared behind the horizon, while day made way to dusk and then night, he waited for her.

He awaited her where they had first met, near the entrance to the temple, sitting on a bench.

He was dressed in simple clothes, not the fancy robe that he wore to indicate the fact that Viratas owned a piece of his soul. Here he was not Viratas‘ chosen, not the recipient of that ominous prophecy, tasked with something impossible, but just another man that came for the gifts she had to offer, for a few precious moments of peace.

[Lucette]

Lucette observed Veldrys as he sat upon the couch. She knew he waited for her, yet unhurried she studied him, his clothes and his manner. And while the girl was elated to see him once more, the feline within instinctually lingered and watched before approaching him. The Kelvic’s eyes blinked slowly as her rose colored lips parted in a knowing smile. Veldrys was so very different from the first time they had met; he was more at ease and to Lucette’s mind, more content. He was one of the Symenestra; she had heard the name, though not the details of his cruel people. No one had mentioned to the girl anything beyond that; perhaps they thought her familiar with the dangers of coupling with one such as him… Not knowing the perils involved, Lucette had gone willingly into Veldrys’ arms time and again, and brought him readily into her body each time he visited her at the Temple. The Kelvic enjoyed the man, and his comfortable, soft spoken company. His touch soothed her, and he responded to her attentions beautifully. She knew not why the Symenestra needed her and the simple pleasures she offered, but the slave girl felt most confidently that she was valued for what she could share. Lucette understood that Veldrys lived in a much more complicated world than she, yet the times they were together, the man made her feel as if her opinions were of value and her uncomplicated insights important. After a time, Lucette meandered towards him on soft feet, even though she walked in human form. The Kelvic leaned over the back of the couch. Her long fingered hand settled lightly, intimately upon his shoulder as her breath touched his ear. Lucette's voice a low, seductive rumble whispered, “Have you come to find comfort… have you come to share peace… with me?” the Kelvic asked, as she always asked each time Veldrys visited the Temple. Always it was a continuation of their first conversation.

[Veldrys]

As Lucette approached, the Symenestra smiled, a very light smile that failed to reveal his elongated canines, and his eyes lit up. He didn’t know how she did it and what kind of magic she possibly possessed, but he was comfortable in her presence, happy to some extent. It still surprised him that she showed no fear. Denval was not too far from Harvest territory. Surely the stories of his people’s cruel deeds had reached even the Temple of Nikali, and yet she came to him willingly. She never judged him, never blamed him for all those murders, although he had condoned them once, although he had participated in so many questionable things ...

He raised his head to meet her gaze as she leaned over the back of the couch. „You know what I’ve come for, Lucette“, he whispered to her. „I have never met a woman like you before.“ She was different from the human women of Denval, even different from the women of his own race, from Nisana and all the others, although she shared some of their predatory nature. She never tried to challenge the gods or the old traditions. She never tried to be something she wasn’t. She lived in the present and seemed to be content with what she had now.

His hand brushed against hers. He hesitated for just one moment, and then he took her arm and guided her around the couch, so that she would sit next to him. „Show me, please ...“ She could feel his breath against her skin. His touch was warm, even though he looked more like something made of snow and ice than a living being.

„Show me“, he repeated.

[Lucette]

“Yes, Veldrys, I know.” Lucette purred with a soft kiss of her lips, the pressure feather soft against his pale neck. “You have come to forget your worries, if only for a little while...” Her nose brushed his earlobe gently. He said, I have never met a woman like you… and the Kelvic lifted her head to search his gaze, unsure how to respond. She did not think beyond the obvious; the comfort physical touch could bestow. “Surely, there is someone to care for your needs when you are not here…?” The man guided her around the couch with his hand, and Lucette nestled next to him, curling into his body and the warmth of his unique scent. The bony prominence of his shoulder was at Lucette’s cheek and she rubbed against the vital spot multiple times in indulgence. “And what shall I show you Veldrys?” Dexterous fingers played with his shirt and pressed upon the skin beneath the fabric. “Is it possible you have forgotten your previous visits? Do you require a reminder? Lucette attempted to hold a serous expression, but failed as she teased. “I must show you again, yes? What can happen when you put your busy world behind you…?” Lucette’s curves were a little rounder, her breasts slightly fuller than when they had last met, though her cheeks appeared a bit hollow. And when she moved, it was with her entire body, not just a simple movement of arm or head. She took one of his hands in her smaller pair. The Kelvic flowed provocatively in that simple act, as she shifted upon the lounging couch to better observe the man. Her fingers, with smooth pressure touched upon his nails and their length. She purred lowly, a soft exhalation of breath; his nails, reminded her of her own long Cheetah claws. It was one more connection they shared, this similarity. Veldrys was a priest of blood; Lucette had heard the gossiped news. But not being from Denval, the slave girl did not know what significance that title held or what the man did with blood. Lucette assumed he drank it, and her eyelids fluttered briefly to remember the sweet life-blood of the bird she had eaten. It had warmed her belly as nothing had before, and her mouth watered to remember. Hunger came again, fierce and necessary... She licked her lips. Blood and meat… they belonged together. Lucette’s mind spun. Even if Veldrys could not eat the flesh… he still was intimate with the blood. An excited shiver focused her stare upon him and she wondered, unable to hide her excessive interest, “What do you do… with the meat? From the blood that you worship?”

[Veldrys]

„No, there is nobody“, he replied. His voice was filled with sadness. There had been people that had wanted to get close to him, but he had not let them. There had been Nisana, in Kalinor. He had enjoyed her company. In another life, if things had been different, there might have been something between them. She might even have become his wife if he had stayed. There had been that young man in Lhavit, years ago, but nothing had come of it, nothing but a brief romance that he thought of with a kind of melancholia every once in a while. „I’m dangerous for all those that dwell outside this temple, Lucette. I could hurt them.“

„Pathetic, isn’t it?“ He laughed, a short, bitter laughter. „That a man like me lives alone.“ As she nestled next to him, he fell silent and simply enjoyed the fact that she was so close to him, touched her as she touched him. In a way he was glad that he had at least that much, that he could at least come to the Temple of Nikali every once in a while and forget the world outside. It could have been worse. He could have been like the prophet, the man he had been centuries ago, burdeneded with the knowledge that he would die before his time, burdened with the knowledge of a terrible future, but unable to do anything about it.

The life of a venomous Symenestra was at least better than that.

She seemed different somehow, slightly curvier, but he thought nothing of it. As she touched his nails, he arched an eyebrow, momentarily puzzled by the gesture, and then he took her hand and stroke it. „We are alike, aren’t we?“ he whispered. „Both of us are predators, hiding behind a gentle face.“ He let go of her hand again and changed his position slightly so that he could look into her eyes.

„The meat, Lucette?“ he asked, confused. „What do you mean?“ The question seemed strange to him, a little out of context. „Sometimes I prepare it so that I can digest it, but most of the time I don’t do anything with it. I only take the blood and give the meat away. I sometimes drink the blood of those that live in Denval as well, so that I can share their memories, their feelings. Have you ever worshipped blood, Lucette? Do Kelvic ever do such a thing?“

[Lucette]

It seemed to sadden Veldrys to admit such things about himself, and the Kelvic drew closer, her body conforming to his. Pushing her head into the crook of his shoulder, Lucette wished to soothe him, but she was too intrigued and curious to remain silent, “How would you hurt them? You have never seemed dangerous to me.” Lucette’s eyes flared, alert as she looked carefully sideways, but still she did not find anything to fear in the man. The Symenestra acted much as others had when in her company, though he took more time to speak gently and ask questions. But that in itself was endearing, not dangerous. Lucette’s fingers smoothed the shirt at his chest with a light, yet knowing touch, “But Veldrys, why be alone? I am sure that many would welcome the chance to know you… as I do. And to live alone…” The Kelvic frowned, unable to finish, unable to imagine such a life. Always she had been supervised, or put to the task of pleasing others. Rare were the times she had been left alone. But now that Justus and the Temple owned her, she had been given more opportunity to keep her own company. At first, the little, private cell provided for her in the Temple had unnerved her… but she had grown to enjoy the quiet solitude within its walls. And strangely, she had wished often to be alone in the past few weeks… but not to the extent that Veldrys spoke of. Was this the reason for the somberness that so often seemed to surround him? Lucette wondered… she had been raised to cherish touch and attention; to live without them would make for a mournful life. To imagine such a thing made her more emotional than was her norm, and she looked sadly upon him, nodding, “Yes… it is sad. But the Temple is here and you could… visit more. You would not feel so alone and…” the slave girl looked up through her lowered, dark lashes, “… and you are my favorite” Lucette smiled, a slight upturn of her lips, as her hand lowered to his thigh in the only comfort she knew how to give. After a time she asked, puzzled, “Are you really a predator? Veldrys… do you tease me?” Her nose lifted towards him but could detect nothing unordinary with her duller human senses. By the look on his face, she gathered he was serious. Always inquisitive, her questions continued, “Why would you hunt then, when you do not eat meat? Is it for the blood?” The man confused her at times, with his foreign thoughts so different from her own. Lucette hesitated, then began to talk slowly, as if trying to piece together conflicting thoughts as she spoke, “I should be a predator… the Cheetah… not this weaker form…” Did Veldrys understand? Her hand lifted from his thigh to touch at her own breast. “But no, I can not hunt… that is not my place. My place is to serve others… not myself.” The Kelvic repeated the litany as a student might with a memorized passage, but like the student, she did not have the experience to grasp the full meaning behind the words. And in the course of Lucette’s short life, she had taken it for truth, so often had she heard the words from Roland. “I don’t hide what I am…” And this was true, for the Cheetah had only recently been allowed to venture out, and Lucette did not yet know what the feline was capable of. But something stirred within… a need to know what it was to be predator - to eat her bloody fill… to prepare for… for what she did not know. But the compulsion was there and this man Veldrys knew what it was to be predator. A low, purring growl sounded deep in her throat, “Would you share this meat with me?” Lucette could not look away, his amethyst eyes held her to him. He was not a human, she thought, for he understood the primitive call for meat and blood! He had tasted and drank it, as she had. On edge now, the Kelvic’s ladylike qualities were overshadowed by the feral gleam in her gaze, and the sudden animalistic lust she felt for the man. It was difficult to contain, but with her voice husky, she said, “I have not worshipped blood, though I like the taste... But I would, if you wish it of me.” She said leaning in to kiss his lips at first softly, then with a new hunger. And she whispered, her lips still upon his, “It is the meat I worship.” She did not know of his rituals, or what he did for his god, or even why he would do such a thing. It was enough that he was a predator who drank blood.

[Veldrys]

Veldrys didn’t answer immediately as Lucette asked him how he would hurt them, those other women. How could he explain to her why he was dangerous without making her recoil in fear and disgust? She was so close to him that he could feel her heart beat, so close that he could almost hear it. He didn’t want to lose that, didn’t want to lose her. He wouldn’t be able to bear it if she suddenly turned away from him. But at the same time she deserved a little honesty for all that she had given to him, and thus he said, „My kind are venomous, Lucette, and the venom is strongest in our children. Our women often die in childbirth. Do you understand now why I cannot allow any woman outside this temple to get close to me? I could hurt her. I don’t want to be a muirderer.“

„Why be alone?“ His voice was filled with bitterness as he asked this. „If you were in my place, could you be with somebody, knowing that your love could kill them?“ He didn’t want to be alone. He wanted to share his life with somebody. He wanted to grow old with somebody. He wanted to wake up next to somebody in the morning. Like most people he yearned to have children of his own one day, somebody that continued his Web, but he would never be able to live with the guilt, unlike most of his race. Maybe, he thought, he was a freak because he opposed a practice that was so common among his people.

„I would like to visit you more often“, he told her. The look in her eyes brought a smile to his face. He reached out to her as well. Her touch always calmed him down. It made him forget. How was it possible that she always knew when he needed her? „And no, I’m not teasing you. Why should I? Maybe I’ll show you how we hunt one day. We do it for the blood and for other things. It’s hard to explain to somebody who has never seen any Symenestra besides me. You have to be there.“ There was a strange shimmer in his eyes as he said this. She was probably the only woman in this city who understood the thrill of the hunt.

„Do the people at the temple not allow you to hunt?“ he asked. He sounded concerned. „You are both a human and a cheetah. You shouldn’t deny the predator in you ...“

„Of course“, he replied as she asked him if he would share the meat with him. „I’ll share anything with you. In Kalinor where I came from we sometimes take a drop of each other’s blood. It’s the greatest sign of trust. It’s another way to temporarily become one besides this here ...“ As he said this, he put an arm around her and returned her kiss, as if he were entirely content to be with her this way, despite his words.

[Lucette]

“You haven’t hurt me…” The girl wondered if she could ever kill someone with love… The animalistic instinct to fulfill her own need was predominant in the slave girl, even after her life of servitude... And in that past life of long ago, she had been alone - the kind of solitary, selfless aloneness that Veldrys had described. It seemed horribly unfair to be subjected to it in this life; to remain apart, and only watch as others lived and loved. Lucette wished never to feel that separate ever again. With the tiniest of movements she nodded, but did not speak to answer his question. “Roland said when I was less useful… he would breed me. And then the babies would be sold… as I was…” Lucette assumed the Temple would do the same. It was a matter of course, facts she had learned at an early age. There was no questioning in her mind over what should be. But even knowing her own worth as a slave, she still said, “I would not wish to be a Symenestra woman, then. That is a very sad path.” Veldrys seemed so forlorn, and Lucette petted him, drawing her fingers through his white, silky hair in an effort to soothe him. “You would show me your hunt?” She asked incredulously, enthusiasm building; the female responding to the male. “Show me your predator…” The strong and powerful… Alpha. “I am a poor hunter. But I wish to see you – unrestrained.” Fixated upon the man’s throat, Lucette’s fingers touched feather-soft there and around his neck. To the Kelvic it was as if the man had also worn the slave’s collar; one that bound him just as tightly as hers had, but instead of leather and metal, he was chained by complicated thoughts and high ideals. “Show me…” she said again, heart pounding wildly, “this other side that you hide…” Your Cheetah… Lucette almost said, then did say, “Justus would allow it,” the pink tongue darted out to lick the middle portion of her upper lip. Intellectually, Lucette did not know what she needed, but instinctually the feline did. Primal need urged her on. She needed to see him hunt, needed to eat meat and lap blood with him; Veldrys had to prove himself… why… she did not fully know. It was a powerful compulsion. Did those marked by Nikali in the Temple feel its terrible pull? As her kiss became Veldrys’ kiss, Lucette’s core suddenly awakened to feelings thought long lost. The bond broken by Roland’s betrayal tentatively fluttered within her, overflowing to reach out in its wish to be formed anew. The Kelvic could not make it stop, nor did she wish to, for Lucette was lost within the remembered comforts of having a bondmate. Slowly, she blinked, calmly she breathed, “…share your blood with me,” she begged into his lips, his skin. With voice hushed, her body urged him to be persuaded, “I trust you.” I trust you… I trust you… I trust you… The potent bond danced hypnotically in a sweeping caress to touch at Veldrys core. It was glorious, it was dazzling… then it abruptly ceased. The girl cried out, a small choked sound. The interrupted bond’s sweet tendrils dissipated into the air around her as Lucette’s stomach knotted and her face grew flushed before it turned completely pale. Perspiration dotted her smooth forehead. Mouth thick and tongue heavy, the Kelvic’s throat worked to swallow, but could not. Standing quickly, she faltered, “I… I don’t feel well…” and Lucette turned quickly upon bare feet, her sheer gown flying behind her as she ran out the Temple door, almost tripping over the silky fabric in her haste. Once outside, she fell heavily to her knees, and retched, heaving half digested chucks of raw meat upon the well-tended walkway.

[Veldrys]

„No, I haven’t hurt you“, he agreed. „And I thank the gods for that.“ His voice was very soft as he said this. He couldn’t imagine what he would do if she were hurt as well, like all those women in Kalinor. He didn’t think he would be able to bear the loneliness again. He couldn’t imagine living the rest of his life without another being by his side …

„He said that?“ Shock and disgust were visible on the Symenestra’s pale face. „He would really have sold your children? I’m glad that you are rid of him then.“ He said that even though he was aware that what his people did wasn’t that different. The Symenestra abducted innocent women, locked them up somewhere and bred them.

„It is a very sad path“, he agreed.

„I will show you“, he promised her. There was something about the way she looked at him, about the way that she acted that instantly distracted him from those melancholic thoughts he had been thinking before. „I will show you everything, Lucette. We could leave the temple together and lose ourselves for a while.“

As he said this, the strangest feeling took a hold of him. He felt her, felt her like he had never felt her before. It was powerful, nearly overwhelming – and then it abruptly stopped. The Symenestra couldn’t breathe for a moment. For a moment his heart stopped, and then he looked at her, completely confused.

„Lucette?“ he asked.

„Lucette!“ Confusion made way to worry as she ran out of the temple. He immediately followed her and knelt down besides her. „What is wrong with you? What is happening?“

[Lucette]

Even with her eyelids pressed tightly shut, small tears escaped from Lucette’s matted lashes. In the dark of the night, the delicate, wet droplets twinkled like dewdrops upon her cheeks. How she ached and suffered! Her belly felt as if it had suddenly and violently rejected itself. A low, discontented moan sounded but trailed off, as Lucette felt rather than saw, the Symenestra kneel close. Always the comfort of his presence worked to calm her, though this time her body refused to be soothed so easily. Over the past few weeks or was it a month - the Kelvic could not remember the time exactly - she had learned that these repulsive episodes needed time to subside before she was able to feel better once again. And so it was impossible to answer Veldrys’ questions, for the loops and turns her stomach made took what little concentration was left in her. On her hands and knees, the Kelvic’s spine undulated as her belly attempted to purge even more of its contents. Contracting painfully, it sent another wave of reddened liquid to splatter loudly upon the ground. “I don’t know…!” Lucette yowled, forcing herself to look up from where her hands propped her stiff arms, her hair lay tangled and sweaty about her face. The Kelvic was miserable, and not used to sickness. It was dirty, nasty work and she only wanted a bath and a long nap. Her eyes brimmed with moisture from the sourness that now resided upon her tongue. “I have been sick. I thought it would go away after a time... but it has not.” She admitted, her gaze dropping back to the pebbled path. “What is wrong with me? Veldrys…when will I feel better?” She knew the man was a healer; he had told her so during one of his visits to the Temple. “Please make it stop…” Lucette couldn’t speak again as she paused, and tried to swallow a foul lump in her throat. The wish not to be sick again filled her, and again the slave’s eyes closed, to shut the outside world away as she concentrated on that one thought. Don’t be sick… don’t be sick… don’t be sick… Veldrys looked worried, but Lucette refused to look at him again. She only wished to enclose this terrible feeling with the Bond that had almost formed between them. Distinctly Lucette knew - the Symenestra had felt it too! She had sensed the magical connection as any Kelvic would… but she had also witnessed it reflected back in his amethyst eyes. The glorious connection! The connection ruined by this… this sickness! It was something special and sacred… and now it was nothing, only ruin in the midst of spittle and vomit. She would never be bonded again! Tears flowed anew. Dragging an arm across her face, Lucette tried to wipe all trace of tears and sickness from her ashen features. Her lips pouted fully in annoyance and embarrassment. Dark circles below her eyes could be seen, as if she were unusually tired, as she turned her sad eyes towards him and sat up on her knees. One delicate hand moved to press gently against her belly, to hold her palm and fingers there as if cradling a treasure. It was an unconscious movement, and it was a maternal movement made the world over… only Lucette did not know this.