True Identities (Roka)(Complete)

[Sahashkalila]

Timestamp: 32nd Spring 512 AV

Kalila sat on her bed in her small home, once again going over everything that she was going to need for this mission that she had volunteered her services for, something that surprised herself still. They were traveling to the Spires, somewhere that was much colder than it was here and she was worried that she was going to be a hindrance to everyone. She was Dhani, and if she got too cold she would hibernate, and that was something that she was going to have to be constantly aware of. This was also going to expose what she was to the others who didn't already know what she was, since she was going to be spending much of the travel time in her viper form. She hadn't told Roka yet.....and she felt incredibly guilty for deceiving him.

He wasn't at her home at the moment, and so she had a few moments to herself and she sighed in frustration. She needed to tell him and yet...she didn't want to be rejected by him. That was something that worried her constantly and if she admitted it to herself...she might have developed and attachment to her housemate that she didn't want to examine to closely at the moment. It was far too new and frightening for her to contemplate at the moment, and she dropped her head into her hands with a sigh, her emotions rolling and her stomach churning. What was she going to do?

[Roka]

Roka journeyed back the now acquainted path to his domicile. Along his path there were, as always rows of vendors, advertising their goods and offering a lower discounted price. The smell of freshly dried and baked apples wafted into his senses. He headed toward the stand now quite sure of what he would do when he reached it. The woman smiled at him "One gold miza a pound, ma' boy. An extra five silver for the cinnamon."

He paused scanning over her display. "How much for just the cinnamon?" he asked. She looked down upon her pile of wrapped cinnamon sticks and then back to Roka with a sour look. "One gold an ounce." She responded a frown tugging on her sun-aged face.

He kneeled down, reaching into the mouth of his boot. The woman leaned over her cart to better look at what he was doing, her brows furrowed in thought. "I'll take an ounce. Some sugar too, if you have it." he continued to dig about in his bag.

"That'll be one gold, five silver." she answered still peering over the edge of the cart with suspicion. It was over-priced for what he would be getting he was sure, but, he wasn't very concerned, and did not argue with her.

"Yeah that's fine." he replied, not bothering to look up and began to pull the asked price from his bag. Content she turned to begin bagging the items he had requested. He stood, with her back turned and slipped a thatch bag from her table into his fingers and grabbed a select few ripened apples and slipped them inside.

He placed her payment upon the counter and waited as she finished bagging his spice. "A'ght then, here ya are." she said thrusting out the bag toward him. His own secrete bag, held at his side and out of sight. He grinned broadly at her as he took the bag. "Many thanks miss." he responded with some hidden meaning that made her face scrunch in annoyance. Her misgivings mounted looking upon his devious looking grin and looked down at her payment to quickly count that she had not been taken for a fool. As she slid the money into her palm, Roka walked off calmly, sliding his purchased bag in with the apples, and quite proud of himself.

He felt good; his spirits high with the clear and present weather of the day. The healing bruises and cuts upon his face and body were beginning to fade into pale purples and brown and his shoulder had been well taken care of by Chamaeleon and Kalila. They insisted it be cleaned multiple times a day, it was quite frustrating, but it wasn't to say he didn't enjoy their worry about him just a little too much. Soon the wrapping could be removed and then the stitches as well.

He was soon upon the entrance of the building he resided with Sahashkalila and his excitement swelled, wanting to share with her, what he had gotten.

He opened the door, bag swinging in his fist and set it down upon the nearest table. "Hey, it's just me" he called to announce his presence, hoping to not frighten her with his noisy entrance. He turned and looked about the room finally catching sight of her, sitting with her head in her hands.

"Kalila?" his voice oozed with concern "Are you alright? What's wrong?" He came to sit beside her, wrapping his arms around his thighs and leaning over into his lap so that he could better see her face.

Receipt-1gm, 5sm for spices

[Sahashkalila]

She heard the opening of the front door and she knew that it couldn't be anyone else besides Roka, and she bit her bottom lip as she heard his familiar voice coming closer to her. She felt the bed indent next to her and she lifted her head from her hands, a half hearted smile on her face. He was looking at her in concern and she felt even more guilty, her heart twisting at his expression. There was no way that she was going to be able to avoid it, he deserved to know that truth from her. But perhaps, just for a little while longer, she could still say that she held is friendship.

She scooted a little bit closer to him, reaching out a hand to brush away some of the stray strands of his ebony hair from his face before she gently brushed her fingers over the light bruises and scratches upon his face. He was healing up nicely since he had first come back to her after he had suffered those wounds, and at the time she had panicked, not sure what exactly happened...and perhaps then was when she had discovered that her fondness for her housemate went deeper than what she had originally thought. She pushed aside those thoughts though, her fingers lingering on his face longer than was most likely appropriate as her golden eyes stared into his. "I am fine Roka,"she said softly, removing her hand from his cheek to twirl her curls, her stomach churning with nerves. "You are looking much better than before, which makess me very happy." She smiled warmly at him before she turned to look at the bag that he had dropped onto the table, curious as to what it held.

"Did you bring ssomething back? What iss it?"she asked, looking back at him as she tried to change the subject away from her. Perhaps, they could be friends just awhile longer...that was all she asked.

[Roka]

Roka's eyes slid shut upon her gentle touches brushing over his skin. He could not help it, it was a weakness. Subtle soft fingers, each touch leaving a mark of something he could feel deeper in his insides. It was like a taste of everything he always wanted. His eyes flickered open as her touch dwindled away, and a subtle smile played across his features, golden eyes still filled with worry.

"I feel much better, thanks to you." he answered thankfully, pulling his chest from against his knees and gazing into the pools of her eyes. "Thank you for that." he leaned toward her resting his face against her shoulder, his lips just at the tip of her shoulder. It was an odd gesture he could not explain, but as caring emotions welled inside him, he would find himself acting accordingly in odd displays of affection. There were tender whispers here and lingering touches there.

His attention shot back to his bag at her question, with renewed excitement over its content. He smiled and pulled his weight off the bed and to the bag. "A treat!" he responded, taking the bag to the counter of the kitchen.

"I wanted to make you something. It's something, I haven’t' had in a very long time." He began to empty the bags content. There were a couple of bright red apples, a small sack of sugar, and a few sticks of cinnamon. He pulled his eating knife from its sheath at his thigh. "It seemed like a good day for this."

He pulled the bag across the counter and created a make-shift plate for the fruit to rest when complete. He peeled at the skin of the apple, wrapping his blade around it's outside in choppy chunks of red flesh. It wasn't very graceful, but the job got done. He sliced them into pieces and set them down onto the sack. He moved onto the cinnamon. Roka unwrapped the sticks, the strong spice stinging at his nostrils, and nearly tickling up a sneeze. He cut it in fine pieces and then poured a small mound of sugar onto it. It was a mess, grains of sugar and cinnamon in a pile upon the counter. He was not sure of the taste, but hoped it would be as he remembered.

His cupped hand slid the sugary concoction onto the slices, finely powdering them in a gently drizzle. "Ok, all done." he smiled and turned to her, presenting his sloppy looking tray of apples.

NoteIt likely tastes a bit spicy (too much cinnamon) because he has no idea what he's doing. So react as you see fit lol

[Sahashkalila]

She was slightly surprised as he placed his head against her, his lips warm against the skin of his shoulder and her stomach fluttered, the touch simple but effective and she touched her lips to his hair before she pulled away. She did not understand what she felt, only that he was precious to her....that was all she allowed herself to think right now. "It wasss nothing between friendss, you are...preciousss to me,"she said softly, a shy smile gracing her face as he stared at her before he got off of the bed.

A treat? For her? She had never had someone do something for her and she watched in fascination as he unpacked his bag on the table, pulling out fresh apples. She watched as he then pulled out a small bag of sugar and some cinnamon as well and she wondered what he was up to, this "treat" being something she had never eaten before. He then cut up the apples and sprinkled the sugar and cinnamon on top and presented his treat to her with a grin, and she couldn't help but laugh at his excitement, getting up to go inspect his treat. They smelled wonderful and she looked up at him with a grin, the small gesture warming her heart. And making the guilt even worse.

She reached for a slice of the spiced apple and held it to her lips, taking a small bite and letting the spices and juices from the apple wash over her tongue. It was...delicious if a tad bit spicy, but she wasn't about to let him know that. A satisfied hum left her lips and she closed her eyes in satisfaction at the treat he had decided to give her. She did not know why he wanted to do this for her, but it only added to his innocent charm about him and she turned to look back up at him, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Thank you Roka....thisss isss deliciousss,"she said softly, reaching out to pat his arm and then offered the rest of the apple slice to him. "You are very ssweet."

OOCIt is alright, it is incredibly cute and just adds to his charm to her.

[Roka]

Roka's smile shone a row of glassy teeth, some with sharpener edges than one should expect to see on any ordinary human. He watched as she partook in the final product of his preparation and offered her thanks. He set the rest down upon the nearest surface. As she reached to offer him a bite, his chest stilled in surprise, he looked from her gentle face to her small, thin fingers. He leaned his neck forward tentatively, nearly mirroring an animal only just learning to trust an open hand full of food. His teeth sliced into the apples flesh and as his lips pulled back over his teeth, so did he pull himself back, the first feeling he could remember of a warm tingling gathering in his cheeks, when no physically exerting himself at least. He nearly patted at his face from the very surprise of the sensation, his gaze no longer able to capture anything by the flatness of the floor.

"You’re welcome." he answered, the lingering taste dissolving in his mouth. Then a laugh bubbled from deep in his core and began to seep out, only now realized as the slight clues remained on his taste buds. "It wasn't very good, was it?" he chuckled and let his thumb brush the last traces from his lips. "I'm not very good at preparing food..." his thought lingered off knowing he usually only at things raw and fresh from the clutches of his teeth.

"Luckily I saved one apple from my untalented clutches." he added nodding to the last bright fruit resting, untouched upon the counter. "If nothing else there is plenty of sugar and spice left" he paused once finding himself babbling about nervously, he would have never suspected himself of being a talkative person, but then again, he was rarely flustered by such a simple action. "I don't know if you like that sort of thing in your tea." he voice hushed to a fading whisper under his breath and then remained quiet.

[Sahashkalila]

She watched as he leaned out to take a bite of the apple from her fingers, his gesture strangely hesitant...and intimate all at once. She felt a slight fluttering in her stomach as she caught a glimpse of his teeth, sharper than most she had seen and that intrigued her. His gestures were sometimes strange and animal like, and she wondered if it was why he spent so much of his time alone. Not that that bothered her, for she was an animal as well.....or rather reptile. She smiled at the blush that seemed to rise in his own cheeks and she set what was left of the apple down on the counter, happiness coursing through her. Perhaps she wasn't the only one who felt certain things....and that only twisted the guilt that had settled in her gut some more.

"It wass fine Roka,"she said with a chuckle as he laughed, patting his arm fondly. "Perhapsss a bit sspicier than normal, but it wass a nice treat." The gesture was nice even if he did not know what he was doing, and Kalila was not going to judge him about whatever he may want to do for her. She did not normally have anyone do anything like that for her, and once again she felt that this man was wrapping strings around her heart that she did not understand and was almost frightened of, but she did not dwell on them at the moment. "We can ssave that apple for later, and the ingredientss will be lovely for tea,"she said softly as the silence seemed to fill the room, and she bit her bottom lip, she had to tell him.

"Roka....I..I have ssomething that..I need to tell you,"she said softly, a flash of sadness crossing her face. This could very well be the last time that she ever saw him, and that hurt deeper than she thought it would. She did not want to lose her friend, but she could not keep such an important secret from him. She turned away from him and wrapped her arms around her middle, trying to ease the nerves that were bubbling inside of her.

[Roka]

His sights set on her, with golden-hues of worry peering over her. He examined her as she seemed to retreat into herself, graceful thin limbs twisted around her flowing form in a tangle of glistening tan skin and pale piercing eyes occupied with a bottomless sentiment. He soaked it all in, making a mental annotation to learn by heart even the elusive variations of her features and the tilt of her worried crown.

He bowed his peak mechanically, striding a foot closer to her, his appendages aching to encircle her and mollify her anxiety. "Anything." his speech was dim and faded.

All he could envisage was this was certainly the end. She was disappearing, or weary of his imposition. It broadcasted like farewell and he prepared for the battering ram that would crush against his full torso at her salute of thoughtful and unencumbered lyrics. He would not loathe her, or cause a fuss. He would modestly resign himself to dissipate, and continue on as he always had, if not with an unseen wound gaping in his core. She was kinder than his own family, that she would at least give him a chance to ask her 'Why?' but he wouldn't, because he could not stand to receive it.

Still this appeared to be his final chance to wrap himself about her and feel the sunbathed glow of her skin beat against his; for him to press his nose into the long ribbons of her honey scented curls.

He took a further tentative step forward and pulled her to him with notable calloused palms. He kept her pressed to his chest, as their hitched breathing cooed into a rhythmic beat. "You can tell me anything." His arms felt long curled around her, and she unexpectedly seemed fragile in his clutches and he preferred to not let her go. He desired to assure that she might not be fragmented. He could not say what sentiment compelled him to feel this way, but his attachments had always run deep when he had opened himself to make them. His cheek rested on her skull and a deep exhale barreled from his chest.

He prepared himself for a heavy blow and to bow out gracefully.

[Sahashkalila]

She did not know what to expect from him as she stood with her back to him, more worried that she would not have the strength to tell him than the rejection that she was bound to be faced with.She could hear his tentative steps towards her, his voice almost sad sounding as he came closer. The next thing she knew she was being pulled into his arms, her back to his chest as his arms encircled her in a gentle embrace. His palms were rough on her skin as he slid them over her her arms, one resting atop her hand while the other rested on her waist. Her eyes widened in surprise and she felt his head rest against hers, his breath tickling her ear.

"You can tell me anything."

Her heart twisted once again and she let out a soft sound, almost like a muffled sob and her eyes glistened with tears before she turned around in his arms, her arms wrapping around his waist. He would leave her, she just knew that he would after he found out and she clutched at him tighter, wanting to remember this moment before he was going. Her head rested against his chest, inhaling his earthy scent and molded her body to his lean frame.

"I...I have kept a ssecret..from you Roka,"she said, her voice slightly muffled from being pressed against his chest. "I am not what I may sseem, and I do not want to hide it from you anymore....I wasss jusst afraid that, if you knew...you would not want my company." Her hands tightened on the material of his shirt before she relaxed them, knowing that this might have been an invasion of his personal space. "But I can't keep hiding it from you, I....you mean far too much for me to keep deceiving you." She took a shuddering breath and stepped away from him, her cheeks glistening from the few tears she had shed, her eyes watching him sadly.

"I am Dhani, Roka.....and I can sshow you." There. Her confession was out in the open now and all she could do now was wait for the oncoming fear and rejection she had come to know quite well.

[Roka]

Roka squeezed her slight frame between his arms, his insides being assaulted by the ripping hole that the sound of her quiet sobs cheered on. Despite all that she felt so perfectly fit to him, her arms coiled just as tightly around his waist as his were around her. He stroked her hair comfortingly and place his lips a top her head with closed eyes.

Her words came as a surprise. 'A secret?' he could not imagine such a heavy weighted secret that she was crying in his arms. What could be so terrifying for her to even speak aloud? He listened quietly his hold on her never wavering hoping to give her some reassurance or comfort.

She was the one to pull away and he regretfully released her, his limbs grazing her before she was just beyond reach. "Dhani..." he repeated the word out of sheer novelty. It sounded familiar, a distant race, but he could not recall where he had heard it or what it truly entailed to be Dhani. "...I don't understand..." his face pinched into a kind of frustration at his lack of understanding. Even further peaking his exasperation was her final comment that she could show him. Show him what?

Besides all that, his mind shifted to his own secret. If she was decided to be so open with him, how could he not do the same for her? She trusted him, he owed her the same. Still it was terrifying; he did not like transforming in front of people, especially in this city. He knew she would not be cruel, but he craved for her to keep seeing him as more than a beast. His sentiments were all flowing about in words that would not congregate into a single thought. He grew silent waited to see what her revealing would be.