Talking from the Soul (Mao/Invite)

[Hatot]

Radris released a sigh as he saw Kavala retreat to the sea, diving in so that he would not be able to follow. “Fine, go chumming for sharks with blood on the water.” Radris muttered under his breath.

He slowly began turning as before his gaze floated over to Sorian as he spoke his words of advice. His eyes slowly rolled, looking at Sorian. “Guess what has two thumbs and doesn’t give a petching shyke?” Radris said before pointing both of his thumbs towards himself. “Name’s Radris, I’m sure it’s a pleasure to meet me.”

Radris then began making his way down the beach, his feet plunging deeply into the sand before kicking it up into the air with another step. He soon rounded the corner that led to the steep hill which would take him to Sanctuary. It would only take a short chime to reach the doors, navigating his way into Kavala’s work area, his eyes narrowing as he began searching through. “Where is it then?” Radris muttered under his breath.

“What are you doing?” Hatot suddenly echoed into Radris’ mind.

“What? How long you been awake for?” Radris then echoed back to Hatot.

“Long enough. Things were going smoothly enough until you petched things up in the end, as usual.” Hatot replied. Letting a slow sigh. “You do have a way of doing that.”

“Yeah, eat shyke and make out with a dung beetle.” Radris echoed as his right hand clinked through the various bottles that lined the shelves of her office. “The women around here are too moody. What was the stuff she used to numb our leg with called? Iodine, is that it?”

“I’ve no idea. She never mentioned what it was called.” Hatot answered, his voice echoing in Radris’ head. “So you just want to numb it then?”

“It’s easier to stitch up my arm when it’s numb.” Radris said as he popped the cap to the bottle, setting down along the table before grabbing a clean cloth.

“What? Stitch yourself? That’s sort of….stupid. Even for you?” Hatot echoed in reply.

“Yeah, well the lady is continuing her dip, and I’m tired of feeling the squishy walls of flesh rubbing each other every time I move my arm.” Radris claimed as he began soaking the cloth with the Iodine.

“You’re being stubborn.” Hatot pointed out, observing through Radris’ eyes.

“Yeah, I’m known for that.” Radris said before pressing the cloth up against the torn flesh of his left arm. The instant the soaked cloth touch his wound, the intense burn of the disinfectant shot through his arm like a wave of fire as Radris growled, almost screamed out in pain. The odd thing was, is that he heard Hatot’s voice echo out in a anguished scream within his head. “Oh, keep it down you little blue baby.”

“Why am I feeling the pain?” Hatot said, echoing out gasps of breath in grunted voice.

“You ain’t keeping me locked up anymore?” Radris echoed back, breathing out hisses as he suddenly threw the rag across the room. “You always fled, leaving me to deal with the pain. You ain’t running from me anymore, which means you ain’t running from the pain either. Looks like we’re going to have to do this without the numb though, cause I ain’t picking blindly at the bottles no more.”

“I think that best. You’ll likely infect us with something your next pick.” Hatot replied as he watched Radris pull a needle and thread from a drawer. “Wasn’t the needle she used curved, and the thread a little thinner?”

“Semantics.” Radris said as he took the needle and thread with him out into the kitchen. “I’ve watched her do this before. I can handle it.”

“I don’t think that was the word you were wanted to use.” Hatot said, letting out a sigh as he felt his end of the pain ebb away. “And I really think you should say sorry and let her do this.”

“What, you ain’t going to apologize for me?” Radris said with a chuckle.

“I’ve grown tired of doing so. Everyone knows it carries a hollow meaning, coming from me, and it makes me seem like I’m defending you for your actions. Which I shouldn’t have been.” Hatot replied before he saw Radris pull a bottle of wine from Kavala’s cabinets. “Oh, that will help you with sewing our flesh up.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. I’m an ass, and I make no apologies for that. People don’t like it, they can just steer clear of me.” Radris said as he tipped the bottle back with his head, taking long full draws as what remained in the bottle was quickly being drained down into the pits of his stomach. “Just because I can’t numb my arm totally, doesn’t mean I can’t dull it none.”

Radris soon tossed the empty bottle into the open yard as it clinked along the ground a few yards before finally coming a spinning stop. He soon sat down, his body slumping into hunch over the table as his large fingers began fumbling with the needle and thread, trying desperately to slip the end of the thread through the eye of the needle before the slow spinning in his head that had started increased in speed. “This is a bad idea.” Hatot said as he watched Radris thread the needle on his fifth attempt.

“Yeaaaaah, it‘s pretty neat.” Radris said aloud, appearing to any onlookers that he was talking to himself. His voice was already becoming lazy, his eye matching it slightly as they remained half closed. Radris then stretched his left arm out in front of him, looking over the claw marks left behind by Mao’s paw.

The needle was slowly hovered over the first of three claws gouges. With drunken vision and hands not entirely suited for the purpose, Radris pierced the needle through the flesh of his arm. His teeth gritted together as he hissed out slightly as a sting rolled over the area, mingling with the dull pain already there from wound itself. Hatot’s grunts of pain echoed in Radris’ head as he did so, making the first stitch. “I think you’re threading a little deep.” Hatot echoed in their mind.

“Shuddup, you’re distracting me.” Radris said as he continued down the line of the first claw mark, the stitches crooked and spaced unevenly as he continued to go down. He eventually sighed, slumping back as the excess thread and needle hung from his arm as he let out a slow chuckle. “There, finished with the first one. Don’t think I have the thread to finish the others right now though. What do you think of that?”

“Well, you stitched your arm about five inches past where the claw mark ends.” Hatot finally said, grumbling over the shared pain.

Radris slowly looked down to his arm, noticing the extra threads in his arm that lined undamaged flesh. “Okay, maybe the wine wasn’t such a good idea.” Radris echoed back, just slumping into his chair at that point, grumbling to himself.

[Kavala]

Kavala emerged from the sea before the first light of dawn touched the Sea of Grass beyond Riverfall's mighty cliffs. It had been a night full of surprises and indeed one she hadn't after all had to spend in solitude. But she was glad for the company, because words had been spoken and thoughts exchanged - and in the end, she felt better. Better didn't mean she still wasn't angry though. She was.

And all the way up the beach and then the climb up the road, she had no idea what she'd say to Hatot or Radris when she found them. There was so many feelings going through her head, so many thoughts, that it almost made her dizzy with the internal activity. Walking up the road, across the field, and slipping into the main entrance, Kavala almost tripped over the blue form with his legs stretched prone and smelling of alcohol. She expected Sorian, but was almost shocked when she realized it was Hatot. Or was it Radris?

Kavala shook her head in disgust even as she took note of the sloppy stitching he'd done and the mess he'd left his arm - which was still bloody. Her own shoulders hurt along with the other rends, though the salt water had been really good for them. No one had offered, obviously, to stitch his cuts for him. He'd stitched them himself. Kavala was certain. And in a way that made her sad. But they weren't life threatening wounds, so her compulsion to help him was less than all encompassing - and so she moved on.

She left him there in that moment. And as her dawn duty entailed, the konti fed horses, the cow and her calves, the chickens, the goats, and all the rest of the strays. Then, and only then, did she return and observe him for the longest time sprawled out on the chair on the veranda.

Slipping into the clinic, she retrieved several supplies - suture, thread, and a cream that wound completely numb the wound. A towel to mop up the blood along with a basin of hot water and a sharp set of scissors accompanied her as well. Carrying the supplies back out onto the Veranda, Kavala set them down next to Hatot and dosed his wound with woundease. Waiting a moment to make sure the salve did the trick, Kavala carefully took her scissors and removed the sloppy stitches Radris had put in. Then, once she had them gone, she set aside the silver implement and laid her hands on the wounds. Concentrating, she tapped the elaborate Rak'keli mark on her ankle and pulled power up through her body to infuse his wound, cleansing them and healing the rough surface abrasions completely as she ran her hands over his body. When she'd touched all she could in the name of healing, she'd cut off the power from the divine and took up the needle once more. Then, threading it, she began the long process of stitching the flesh closed properly. In places, it had already begun to heal together so she had to reopen them forcefully in some places.

Kavala was glad she'd gotten back though. When she reopened his wound and freed it from the stitches, the arm had already begun to smell bad - infection - because of the cat's claws. She worked quickly, with small neat stitches. Truthfully it took her almost no time at all. Stitching was easy. Getting a wound to heal was harder.

If he woke, she'd keep working silently. If he did not, she'd cover him with a blanket when she was done. Then, and only then, would she go find Sorian and Mao and see if they needed anything. Once they were settled, she'd go tend to her own wounds.

[Mao]

The brilliant sun was just gracing the sky when Mao felt herself finally awaken. The night had been filled with terror and confusion, but what was left of it swirled around her mind in a haze. Even in deep sleep she had not dreamt at all. It was dark; an utter void that threatened to swallow her whole. Something that felt oddly familiar to the pull she felt in her heart. But it soon subsided, and she found herself in the comfort of a bed when her lids finally opened, and the blurriness gradually resided.

At once she noticed the room was unusually large and almost foreboding, for the warm rays of the sun had not yet penetrated the windows. But the sound of someone's heaving breathing caught her ear, and when she leaned over the side of the bed she found Sorian's large form sleeping soundly on the floor. She had no reason to wake him, so she left him there as she got up and approached the curtains that held back the comforting light. Pulling them aside, there was a pause. The Konti woman, Kavala was her name, she lived around this area did she not? Mao could not help but feel a strange connection to her, as if they were joined at the hip than anything else.

The sudden recollections of the night before washed through her. The way she had handled the kelvic so readily and without fear of being bitten or clawed to death, and the way she spoke to her as if she knew just exactly what she was feeling. Was she healer? Mao shook her head angrily at herself, for she would never admit to needing help or even ask of it from anyone. But the konti had attracted her attention, and she was far too curious to let it pass.

Luckily for the feral kelvic, Kavala's scent still lingered on her own skin from the struggle and lifting her arm up to her nose, it was particularly easy for her to pick her specific scent apart from the rest. But doubt still lingered in her mind. She was unsure of her location as of now, and even more unsure of the people that traversed the world outside this room. Even if she held the decency to remember to dress before she left, her clothes were gone, and so she took to her own skin as she crept to the door and slowly opened it.

At once she was bombarded with the relentless heat and winds and the exceptionally strong smell of animals mingled with those she could not quite place. In front of her was another building, and she realized, in alarm, that there were quite a few, looming structures built around the area. When her eyes fell on an opening to the pasture and the main road leading away from the Sanctuary, she felt the sudden urge to flee, but she quelled it with the desire to meet with the konti once again.

Looking up once again, the lingering smell of blood wafted down from the building and danced around the kelvic in an invitation. Yes, she feared enclosure, but Mao's stubborn personality forced her legs forward until she stood inside the clinic, uneasy, and not unlike a lost child. She would hiss and growl at anyone that would pass by, regardless of if they were friend or foe, for her mindset was only on finding Kavala, and hearing just exactly what she had to say.

She did not have to look hard, however, for the familiar white skin of the konti was revealed when she turned a corner. At once she spoke, regardless of what Kavala was doing, and almost wanting, the innocent part of her soul seeping through if only for just a moment.

"...Tell me what you have seen. You feel what I feel. You know my thoughts. Can you read minds? Can you read my future?"


oocLOL this was supposed to be under Hatot's post, oops! ^_^ Please treat it as such.

[Hatot]

There was a small moan that escaped his lips as the morning lights of the sun began to filter down over his face, causing his brow to knot up and his eyes to shut even tighter. “Ow,” Hatot muttered as his lips parted, his mouth feeling a little dried out. “He always leaves me to deal with the hangovers.”

His eyes opened just slightly, the tiny slivers revealing the hint of a golden hue to his eyes as his gaze fell down to observe the tight tugging sensations that could be felt along his arm, instead of the dulled pain he expected to awake to. It was Kavala, quickly stitching up the scratches that marked his arm.

“You don’t have to,” Hatot said his voice pausing quickly, realizing the compulsion to heal her Gnosis mark gave her, “I mean, you could have attended to your own first.”

Hatot then fell silent as she continued to work, not responding to him. A slow nod was given as his head fell into his opened right hand, shielding his eyes from the sunlight for a moment. “I’ll make sure to replace what Radris sullied in your office.” Hatot then simply said, letting his hand fall down to his lap as she finished her stitching.

[Kavala]

Kavala really didn't want to face Hatot just yet. Nor was she in any way ready to talk to Radris either. It was partially why she took the time to feed the animals and then take care of him rather than do it first. His first whispered muttered words were lost on her while his second ones were far more coherent. "Yes, I do have too." Was all she said softly as she finished her task. At his third set of words, her head snapped up and her eyes blazed with fury for a moment. She was angry. It was an emotion she rarely displayed to him. It was, in fact, one she rarely felt. And though she'd spent a peaceful night and had come to terms with a few things... his words brought all her emotion back into focus - emotion she thought she'd set aside.

"They are only things, right? You didn't sully anything. Radris did. He can replace the wine if he likes. If he doesn't, he can stay out of the building. It's as easy as that. It's only stuff, Hatot. It means next to nothing. But what about people, Hatot? Will you buy them off so easily?" Kavala reached up and unlaced the sleeveless tunic she had on. She pulled the lacing off far enough so that she could bare her breast to him - the one that was bruised slightly with Radris' fingerprints. "What about other sullied things?" She said in a low fierce voice. "Or don't they count?" She laced the tunic back up with just as much efficiently as she'd sewn his wounds together then grabbed the medical supplies and marched them back into the clinic to return them to their place, leaving Hatot alone.

Then she began straightening up the place, ignoring her own wounds. The throbbing pain of the scratches eased her anxiety a bit and kept her calm because their very presence brought her pleasure. She thought best, and indeed cooled down, when she was cleaning or working in some way or another. Kavala was just on the verge of cooling down when Mao put in an appearance. The kelvics emotions were volatile, projective, and somewhat uncomfortable for the Konti - but she didn't admit it.

"I don't read minds. I feel the emotions of animals and people like you." She said simply, taking stock of the room idly noting potential weapons, tools, anything she might be able to use to defend herself if Mao wasn't here on a mission of curiosity. The Kelvic was dangerous to everyone here - or at least the one she met the night before - so Kavala wasn't taking any chances. "I can't read your mind, and I don't know your thoughts. I did dream about your feelings, your emotions... about all the killing, and anger. I dreamed about your bonding with Navis, and know how angry you are. I also dreamed about your physical relationship with him and know how close you two were. I feel your intense anger Mao. I know you love to kill, and you tend not to do so cleanly because you enjoy the pain and fear you bring to others. It makes up a little for the pain and fear others have brought you. And that scares me a whole lot, truth be told, because you let the cat inside you rule your life. A healthy kelvic is neither cat nor woman, but a perfect blend of both. You are seggregated inside, and that makes you very very dangerous. She'll kill to protect you or to give you what she thinks she you want or need. But since you aren't fully together and blended, her guess could be random and based on anything because she really doesn't know what you want and need. I think thats just acceptance, safety, and a place to fit in, and someone to serve.'" She said softly, meeting Mao's gaze. Kavala wasn't about to let Mao establish that she was more dominant or had the right to boss Kavala around. That would make life very dangerous in the long run for the Konti.

[Mao]

Mao knew the Akalak was in the other room. She could smell it in the air. But would she strike this woman? Would she sink her nails into her exposed wounds and tear it asunder? No. She was not a treacherous human, she was a Konti, one who seemed just as exhausted as she'd been when she had confronted her. Mao, however, was not one to allow someone rest. She came for one purpose alone, to speak to her; to learn more of the one who seemed to understand just what she was going through.

Eyes flicked around the room, taking note of Kavala's tension, and wondering for a moment, if she held a weapon somewhere that she would use to overcome her again. No knives, spears or bows. There was nothing (at least what she could see), of use that would give the woman an advantage, and so she spoke, her voice hoarse from her cries last night. "You can feel my emotions.." She repeated, "You can't read my mind but you dream of me, Konti. You know my life. You can garner from your visions that I despise humans. That they should all suffer the same fate I have wrought upon every unsuspecting traveler that was unfortunate enough to cross my path." Slowly her voice gained momentum, until her words sounded like the threating growl of a large cat. When she spoke of the way a kelvic should be, Mao's fists clenched in fury, but her expression was a blank slate, her eyes locked onto the blue of Kavala's. Three long strides, and she had closed the gap between them, much like the scenario that had occurred last night, without the hand that gripped her neck.

Instead, Mao looked down to inspect the wounds she had inflicted upon her, and touched them, ever so lightly with the tips of her fingers. "You know so much of my people. Should it dictate what I am, who I must be?" Her next words forced her eyes upwards in a dangerous glare. So close was she to Kavala that her breath reached her very skin. But there was something in her that stirred, the human half; the sensible far more comprehensible side. Her expression became docile as she spoke.

"You are like the mother I lost. You can see what I am, and yet you speak softly but firmly." A step back. "But you speak as if I would be a slave. Yes this is in my heart! But me, me! One who kills, who eats and sleeps in blood! Can I ever be accepted? They will see these stained hands and cry murderer for all their weakened state of minds. I have failed my people. I am not like the rest, Konti. I am a defect."

A single tear traced it's way down her cheek, and she wiped it away angrily. "You make me feel as if I am connected to you, like Navis is to me." She said softly, almost inaudibly.

[Hatot]

Hatot’s head and gaze lowered to the floor at Kavala’s words, falling silent. He had no answer for her. Point in fact, there was no right answer to give. In Hatot’s mind, what she said to him was just something that she wanted him to understand, and he did. There was nothing he could do in the end to make up for what Radris did, and to offer compensation was insulting.

Hatot slowly released an exhale after Kavala stepped away, heading back inside Sanctuary. Twinges of guilt echoed in his mind, none of them coming from Radris as he remained silent. His hands came to a rest along the arms of his chair as he slowly pushed himself into a stand. A couple of steps brought him standing in front of the entrance of Sanctuary, observing Kavala and Mao conversing for a moment. When he noticed the calm that remained in Mao’s eyes, he gave a slow nod to himself before moving away from Sanctuary, his feet carrying him down the steep hill that lead down to the beach.

He would only feel like a fifth wheel at that point, so instead he began heading for the city proper, more notably to the Tuvya Sasaran. He had no classes with his students today, but felt the need to go there all the same. He felt the need for exertion now, for harsh training. Why, he couldn’t say, but in the end, he didn’t question it. It would be a long day, and several more cuts and bruises would line his body before it’s end.

[Kavala]

If Mao's situation wasn't so painful, so acutely dangerous, Kavala might have taken note of Hatot leaving. But she didn't, mainly because of her own hurt of the blatant reminder that he constantly refused her the sort of comfort she really needed from a lover - soft words of encouragement, occasional hugs or touches, an hint of how much he appreciated her or liked to have her around. His stoic presence in her life told her he needed something from her - but she wasn't sure exactly what that was. Perhaps it was his age. Maybe he didn't know what she needed, which wasn't really his fault to begin with. Some would say Hatot was just a child - but he was old enough to know the difference. And that he still didn't offer her true affection, or even share any of his feelings with her - angered her. He wasn't the only one with needs. They'd made no commitments and exchanged no vows. In the end, it didn't matter anyways. She was blaming him for something he didn't really do, and Kavala knew it. Kavala knew it was the lack of sleep, and the fact that after the night she was exhausted in so many ways she couldn't even begin to name.

It just felt, lately, that people did a great deal of taking without offering up anything in return. It was like one giant battle that she constantly fought for others at her own expense... and it was one she was bone weary of fighting.

The Konti took a deep breath and in the end, faced the truth. Kavala was what she was - and she'd taken an oath and wore Rak'keli's mark proudly. That meant she gave. And Mao, right here, right now, needed more than anyone she'd ever met. Kavala doubted Mao had ever had love, and that was a tragedy. It was one Kavala would have liked to think on a bit - to plan out - but now was the time. Here and now.

But Mao wouldn't wait. Her pain was very real, and the truth was she'd been ignored for far too long. "I don't know what happened between you and Navis, kitten, but he should have never left you alone. No matter what you've been through... it had to have been made worse by the separation. And while I don't know your history, I can tell you one thing very very clearly. Making others hurt, making them feel the same pain you feel... doesn't ease your hurt. It never will, even if you keep trying the rest of your life. It will never ever remotely make you feel better. Pain breeds more pain and likes its own company best of all. So when you embrace it and become what it is - it just keeps damaging you. When you feed it with its own company, it just wants more and more and more." She smiled then, at Mao, and gestured, hoping to coax the kelvic into her arms. It was her experience that the creatures as a whole were very tactile and touch often soothed them.

"I don't think anything is wrong with you at all, Mao. Listen... your people were created, just like mine, just like the Akalaks. But your people were created by a human named Marcus Kelvic. He lost his twin sister, somewhere before the Valterrian. He had a bad leg and limped.. all the records told of it. So he created your race to look for her. He created your people to be strong and fierce and unafraid of blood or violence or new places. I think in the times between then and now, the kelvics have changed a great deal. But I suspect you are a lot like the original. Because you have no fear. I do not think, however, he would have approved of the pain you carry so closely to your heart." Kavala said softly. If Mao drew closer, she'd touch her, perhaps stroking her hair or her arm.

"You should be proud of yourself. But you should also be aware that actions before thoughts in places like this can really get you in trouble. And you need to find something that does make the pain go away - for real - not just the illusion of causing pain in others lessening your own. It doesn't. Believe me. Laughter. Friendship. Love... all that can help. Even just having a job or something to do with your life. I don't think you have any of that, Mao... any at all. And you needit badly." Kavala said softly, thoughtfully.

If Mao would let her, Kavala would reach out and stroke her hair - gently - trying to open herself to Mao's emotions. She wanted to see how deep the damage went and how truthfully dangerous Mao was. If the damage went deep enough, there'd be nothing Kavala could do but the sensible thing. But if there was a glimmer of hope, a thread of sanity flowing beneath the skin, Kavala could help. She knew it.

"They will see, Kitten, what you truly are only when you decide what you want to be." Kavala reached into her pocket and pulled out a roughly faceted agate she'd picked up off the beach during the night before. She pressed it into Mao's hand and lifted Mao's palm so the kelvic had to look at it. "Look at this stone, Mao. You are like this stone. It's got so many colors, so many angles... but ten different people could look at it ten different ways and see ten different stones... especially if they look close. Some would say its blue, green, cream... some would say its sharp, smooth, etc. But its all of that and none of that... don't you see? It's like you. It has so much potential." Kavala said gently.

[Mao]

There was a time in her life when she felt pure and innocent; devoid of any thoughts of bloodshed and murder. That was when the world was seen in a different point of view, particularly one from a kelvic that knew not the treacheries of the world and the people that resided on it. The past was wrenched from her, but the shadow of what she once was still dwelled deep inside her. It was the wall she built around her heart and mind that kept it from breaking through, but Kavala’s words had a profound affect on her nonetheless. It was an odd scene, a naked woman standing before another, one whose very body had once been bathed in the blood of innocents and convicts alike, but with eyes that held no glare of a predator, but instead softened.

And she listened to Kavala. Listened as she spoke of the pain Mao inflicted on others, and for a fraction of a second, the hostility returned. What do you know of me?! Nothing! She wanted to scream. But her lips did not part and her hands did not move. No, she was quite still as she closed her eyes, breathing deep. Calm. A deep, settling calm. She would greet it with open arms, allow it to affect her, because she was beginning to grow fond of Kavala, whether she wanted to or not. She opened her eyes once more before she spoke. “That is the nature of our bond. We inflict this pain we share on others, and in turn it gives us pleasure. It is the way we are,” she said slowly. “I’m not like the pathetic excuses for kelvics I see on the roads. They grovel at the feet of their masters. They are not given love, but they enjoy it nonetheless. I’m not so different…“ And then silence.

There was a flicker of apprehension as Kavala attempted to coax her into her arms, and she stepped back immediately, almost afraid she had a weapon concealed on her person she had not detected. As the konti spoke once more, Mao froze at the mention of the origin of herself and her people. Froze particularly at the word human. In utter shock, she raised her trembling hands up and inspected them. “No.. It was a human that made us? For such a petty reason. A human?” A hiss, and her hands grasped and clawed at the makeshift collar still tied around her neck. “How, HOW?” She cried. The shadow in her mind rippled violently at the truth that was revealed. She was made in the image of man. She was a child creation of a human. It tore at her heart in agony, but she fought with it. Fought with all her might to quell the anger and hostility, to lay aside the beast and force the woman in herself to see reason. Then a pause. She stared at Kavala, mid-action, with a look that reflected the sudden abrupt change in her.

“I understand now.. I have all the love I need from Navis,” she murmured as steadily as she could. “I have shown you mercy, have I not? I have shown others mercy, people in Taloba. I don’t know if I would call someone my friend. There are always people that backstab you in the end, and only want to advantage of you, or use you for what you can do.” She eyed the Konti, as if she had a kindling of Kavala’s own life. “There are never people so perfect and capable that they can live a happy life, with love and friendship, work to do and no ill thoughts crossing their minds… but…”

Several seconds went by as she looked into Kavala’s eyes, wondering, hoping, calling out for that motherly figure she’d wanted and craved for. And in one fluid movement, she had wrapped her arms around Kavala and hugged her so tightly, with her entire body pressing against her. She yearned for her touch, for the comforting, gentle female touch. The savage Mao had been temporarily cleansed in that moment, and what was left was an animal craving protection and affection from a woman that could give more than enough of it. “All I want is a family…” She wept, pressing her cheek against the soft skin of the konti. “I want a family to come back to. MY family. I’ve found my half, but I still crave the attention of more than one person and I don’t know why.”

When Kavala placed the agate in her hand then, she gazed at it, turning it and finding herself admiring the raw beauty of it. “But what can I be other than the killer I am. I was born to be what I am now. I can’t be a shopkeeper, I can’t care for anyone but myself. All I know how to do is to shed blood…. I will never be a wife but…” She trailed off, placing a hand over her stomach almost absently. “No… Never.”

[Kavala]

Kavala took a deep breath, holding the kelvic close, feeling what was inside her. She could tell the cut-throatness, the ruthlessness was all angle, all surface because that Mao sheltered the other one that was so afraid. The girl asked questions, important questions, and that showed Kavala that she was mostly intact. Navis, however, would not help her at all. Sorian, however, could. He definitely could. Kavala stroked Mao's hair and made loving noises to her, kissing her lightly on the forehead as her mind whirled on how to proceed. Mao wasn't safe - not by a long shot - and she wouldn't trust her around the children of Riverfall or those that had no way of defending themselves. She even had a good chance of ripping threw a few warriors before they realized what hit them - doing serious damage before she was cut down.

Kavala sighed softly, pulled away gently, but only so far as to meet Mao's eyes and smiled. "Life and death are part of the world, kitten. Just because you are a killer doesn't meant you cannot harness those skills and use them in a way that makes you important and yet not dangerous. You sense of smell is acute, better than most, and so too are your eyes. Use them. You'd make an excellent watcher or guardian. Your hunting is superior. If you hunted food instead of sentient creatures, you could feed half this city and they'd be grateful." Kavala pointed out. "And besides that, you probably have quite a few more talents you don't know about yet. Ones, you will be able to discover over time." Kavala pointed out softly.

"As for being a mother, you won't have a choice. You are what... three? You've probably been having heats since age two. I don't know if you've been alone for them - far out in the jungle or grass - but now that you're with Navis again, that will change. You won't have a choice. Once a season, kitten, until your body gets a belly full of young. Then you have a season, somewhere around 90 to 105 days, to carry them. Then four to five months to raise them if they are kelvic, years if they are Akalak. It's not a matter of deciding not too, Mao. It's a matter of who's closest when it happens. Children would be good for you... for Navis too. He'll loose his outcast status if he has one, and gain even more if you birth him multiple children. But you don't have to raise them - there are others here that will. I'd even do so, because I have to make sure I'm carrying an Akalak's child by fall anyhow. But that's not the point. The point is, your body won't have a choice. And if a male of anything comes within scent range, you won't let them say no, and your body won't have a problem conceiving. Everything about you is designed to reproduce." Kavala said softly, stroking Mao's hair.

She knew her words would probably upset the kelvic, but they were true. Mao knew it, even if she pretended she didn't. If Sorian was smart, he'd see to it that Navis gave her a belly full of kittens sooner than later, because motherhood above everything else, would calm her down and jumpstart her more protective loving emotions driving the bloodthirsty pain creator to the back.

Then, with gentle fingers, Kavala reached up and loosened the leather binding Mao's neck. She pulled it free slowly, rubbing the skin beneath where the hair tie had chafted slightly. Kavala set it on the counter and releasing Mao, she opened one or two drawers until she found what she was looking for. Kavala pulled forth a leather collar. It was a thick one, light of weight, perfectly sized for Mao's neck. Made of dark leather, it buckled in the back then had a sort of iron ring that would hold a small decorative padlock. Kavala held it out to Mao.

"This would be far more comfortable. Put it on Mao." She said firmly. "You need to be human for a while, whether you realize it or not. I'll give Sorian the key so Navis can let you run at night when you two go out. But put it on, because its a first step to being able to think clearly and give yourself sometime to make some decisions." Kavala said gently, handing her the collar. Mao, if she chose too, could put it on herself. It was almost as if Kavala needed her to put it on herself. Kavala knew Mao had to decide for herself to start to change if there was any hope in saving her. Putting on her own collar and locking it with a lock was the first step.