[Sanctuary] The Wounded Return (Open)

[Kadrath Onktaka]

If the timing had been right, his expression would be hysterically funny. Rath laughed with pride within at Uruk's start of surprise and indignation. -He- knew Raiha had the internal strength to put Uruk in his place, but now, more importantly, his brother knew.

For a brief chime his icy green eyes held her golden ones and he gave a grudging respect. The Akontak returned his attention to the Konti, concentrating just a bit too hard on evaluating her. Something small whacked at their head and they glared angrily Raiha.

"Save your little bitch slapping for a time when we're not trying to help someone...Raiha.." He snapped in a hissing whisper.

Uruk returned his attention to Kavala, taking care not to frighten her any further. He placed a large hand through one of hers and lightly rubbed the webbing between her fingers. It was a comforting thing he remembered his own mother doing when he was younger and Uruk hoped it would help this woman.

He listened quietly to her fragmented sentences, trying to piece together a fuller picture of the incident without asking her any taxing questions. The more she spoke, the more Rath rose to the surface.

"You were wise to leave Miss Kavala. When one stands to fight, it should be for a reason. Never stay to fight in anger or it will only sully the honor of combat."

Moving slowly and comfortingly, he switched to her other hand, again gently soothing the webbing between her fingers in slow circular motions.

"Yes if you would like to test this on me in a controlled setting then that would be fine--once you're healed. You must concentrate on getting better and calming your thoughts."

The enormous Akontak sounded surprisingly gentle and calm despite her horrific accounting of the brutal assault. His words weren't profound or complex, but rather a reassuring tone with soothing words that held a calming truth.

"We'll get some ginger tea in you and Raiha is a good healer yes? I'm here and I'll keep you safe. No cerulest will come near you as long as I'm here Miss Kavala. Your head didn't seem to have any cracks or bleeding but I think the inside of your head is bruised somehow..."

He trailed off a moment, looking at Raiha for confirmation.

"As for children, you should concentrate on Tasi and Shayru. Such a fine, handsome pair of sons you have, right? You must be very proud of them. Just think of how smart they are! They need you to stay strong and calm for them. You're a very good mother to the boys and a credit to you. Just remember now that you're safe and you're going to heal and all will be set to rights."

Rath kept up the soft murmuring and gentle repetitive motions, working to soothe her mind and body as much as possible. He'd also make a mental note to meet this 'Eowe' himself....

(When Rath speaks and when Uruk speaks.)

[Raiha]

As Kavala lashed out at her, Raiha just tucked her head away and down so as not to get her own nose broken or a black eye, and let the blows strike her arms,keeping Tasival covered, trying to keep the frenzied Konti from hurting her hand on a joint. Just let her get it out of her system. She couldn’t blame her - her own instinctive reaction might well have been to throw a punch of five too. She’d had a very, very eventful night.

As she worked and evaluated, she listened to what Kavala had had to say about such a herb, her side of the tale collaborating with what Raiha knew from what the shadows had to tell her. This had to stop. This absolutely had to stop. If she was forced to continue as a Nakivak, it was going to kill her. Either from the stress, from a mentally unhinged immature blue boy that couldn’t control a wet dream, or from... incidents... like this one. She would think on it later. There had to be some way. Something.

Anything.

This had to stop.

When neither male moved to go take care of the tea, Raiha rolled her eyes to the Ukalas and rose, since Rath was speaking quietly and calming her down, and that was what Raiha needed to have happen at the moment. But at the mention of a broken skull, her long fingers began to gently comb and caress Kavala’s hair, using the movements to ghost over her skull for any breaks and cracks, which would definitely prove to be extremely troublesome. She couldn’t heal those, after all. She found bruising and tenderness, and some blood. The source of the tear was located, and she used warm water to sluice the laceration clean, carefully inspecting her with Auristics, to make sure that the bones were not, in fact, broken. The Konti’s aura revealed itself to her for scrutiny, even as she focused on it, details that she already knew coming to her - how old she was, where past magical activity had been, and she focused on what looked like the faint remnants of a very tiny fissure. Her hands, which had been gently cleaning and touching and petting and trying to calm her best friend down, glowed again as she pushed Rak’kleli’s borrowed strength into Kavala to close the skin and stop the bleeding as she blinked and let the auras fade. “I think that there was a hairline fracture, but you’ve taken care of it yourself. I cannot find or feel another, but I can see where one was.”

She rinsed her hands in the water, drying them on her clothes. “Rath and Uruk will stay here with you. I’ll be right back - I’m going to go make that tea. Just rest and focus on breathing. You are going to be fine. I promise. You are safe, you are with people who would fight to the last for you, and nothing and no one is going to get you here.” She shifted Tasival again and tucked him against her, carrying him in such a way that he wouldn’t be jostled and bounced about too much in the sling, and started off at a sprint as soon as she was from the bath on the way to the kitchen, racing along on her toes and the balls of her feet for more speed. She didn’t want to leave Kavala’s side longer than was absolutely necessary.

Shayru seemed to scowl up at her from the movement regardless when Raiha stopped in the kitchen, grabbing a couple handfuls of scrap wood and stoking the fire with them before opening jars and removing herbs as her mind raced. Ginger would still be good now, but she had other ideas, and set to work with them. Lit only by the light in the hearth, Raiha calmly took the ginger root and a sharp knife and thinly sliced the spicy root, using her fingernails to guide her for thickness. Six slices, nearly paper thin, were put in one of the smallest pots they had as she measured two cups with a long dipper from the water she had boiled for the mash, putting them in the pot, and pushing it over the fireplace to come to a boil. Yet another jar, the honey, was brought out next and set aside while Raiha studied the herbs she had on hand that she had pulled out and laid on the counter. Something to help calm her down. Chamomile blossoms, hibiscus flowers from the garden, leaves from spearmint and peppermint, rose petals, the last of the blackberry leaves--she would have to bring in more from the rafters of the mews--safflower, and plenty of lemon balm. Calm her down and coax her into drowsiness. She needed rest, and lots of it.

All of these were gathered into a thin cloth, knotted with a slip knot to make sure she could get it undone later and not waste cloth, and went into a larger pot. More water was added, and Raiha took a mighty inhale of the aromas coming from the hearth as it crackled near her feet. “Smell that? That will help. Fresh and pleasant and soothing, and hopefully not too much of an aftertaste... something to help with the ginger and honey,” she told him. His blue face was starting to get ruddy, and while the water had yet to boil, Raiha backed up a bit, removing the boy from his sling and adjusting him, letting him stretch and flail his limbs. “Got that out of your system?” she smiled at him, folding him neatly against her once more, as she held up one hand, splaying all five fingers. “There were five little seashells lying on the seashore... SWISH! came the wave,” she moved her hand to indicate a wave, gliding it over him, stopping the complaint before it came. “And then there were four.” she made a comically startled face at him, holding up four fingers. “Four little seashells, as shiny as can be, swish! went the waves, and then there were three!” She made the pantomiming wave again as the little Akontak grabbed at her fingers, and she let him hold her thumb and pinkie finger, wiggling them as he hung on tight.

“Three little seashells, all pearly new, swish! came the waves, and then there were twooo,” she lowered one finger. “Two wee seashells, lying in the sun, along came the waves... and then there was one,” she grinned down at him. Kavala’s son was a great distraction. He, along with Kanikra, helped calm her down, and that kept her at an even keel outside of other eyes that needed her to be strong and steady. “One little seashell, all by itself, I picked it up and took it home, and put it on the shelf,” she adjusted her seat, retrieving her hand from a stubborn Shayru, and removed a little tiny shell from her pocket and held it out for him to see. The water was bubbling merrily, then, done, and she had to stick the shell away for now and put him back in his sling before getting the pots from the hearth. The little one received a large dollop of honey, and she stirred it in, pleased to see that the ginger had essentially dissolved. She transferred it into a smaller cup, putting it on a tray with the other, and heading back to where she had left Kavala in Rath’s care.

The tea had already started cooling once she had moved it from the fire, and by the time she got to the bath, the ginger tea had cooled enough to drink in sips. She set the tray up, and settled beside Kavala with it and a wooden spoon. Metal would only transfer the heat. “Small sips,” she encouraged her. When she was ready, she would hold the cup for her. “It’ll help with the nausea and your head and stomach. I’ve got something else for after, but let’s get this into you first.”

[Kavala]

It took two sips of tea, that was it, before the cup was wavering in Kavala's hands and Raiha took it back and set it aside. The Konti relaxed, almost instantly, letting the drug settle into her system and completely take her out of consciousness. She slipped into a deep dark void, Nysel's realm, and floated in the darkness detached from the pain and the wounds her body had suffered at the hands of the Akalak who had fled.

His face would be tattooed if he was caught. There would be no romance. There would be no love story. There would be nothing to warm the Konti's slowly chilling heart and show her finally that men were safe and not all of them were monsters. In fact, she was quickly learning that they all were monsters. No one could be trusted. No one would be a partner. It was a sad state and one that would not easily be fixed in Kavala's world. But as she floated in the nothingness, escaping fear and pain and having time to think, another voice floated across her consciousness.

"Yes. Mortal men cannot be trusted, Kavala. Ever. But you are and can continue to be a child of the Gods. We can be trusted for what you give to us we give back to you. As you are our servants, so too do we serve you. Serve me, Kavala. And I will never turn a blind eye."

Kavala smiled, the gnosis mark on her lower back warmed, and she flung her arms out. She could almost see the lights of the Chavena dancing around her and she knew that here, in the very least, she was safe and strong and no one could take advantage. Ever.

[Jackalope]

Kavala

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Leadership	+2	Giving Clear Commands
Unarmed Combat	+1	Realizing Potential
Observation	+1	Demavru Suppresses the Dominate
		Victim Under Contract
		As a Child of the Gods, You Are Safe

Raiha

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Singing	+1	Song: A Gruesome Little Diddy
Cooking	+3	Recipe: Fruit Mash
Herblism	+1	Recipe: Cheesy Potato and Veggie Soup
		Healing as an Instict

Jackalope's Notes

Intense thread! I got really into the emotion of it. Thanks for the note in the grading thread explaining what was going on, or I'd have been lost. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.