Closed Clash (Oryani, Kat, Arundel)

[Nathaniel Deveraux]

Day 45, Season Fall, 513 AV

Later that day...

Nate really didn't like this sort of waiting. As a hunter, he was capable of waiting in general; that was never a problem. But he hated the tension that filled the air. Arundel had gone to sleep; though from the looks of it she was only taking a light nap and was not actually sleeping deeply. Nonetheless, that meant that the only Drykas he even knew to a marginal degree was now no longer conscious and he was left alone to deal with Oryani, who hadn't spoken to him at all in the past few bells.

Not that Nate necessarily thought Oryani needed to talk to him. As far as he was concerned, the less conversation between them the better. But that just left a rather accusatory silence that dragged on into the night, and it also left Nate feeling rather exposed. The tea had been mostly consumed by now. Nate went to check on the Thyme leaves. They were drying nicely, but would require at least a few days to completely dry out. While they could be used for tea right now, the fact that they had not fully dried meant the resulting tea would not be as potent. Or tasty.

Nate quietly got up, shooting Oryani a look that was equal parts suspicion and caution, as he went over to pick up some more wood for the fire. At the very least, she hadn't stabbed him in the back on their journey back to Endrykas, and for that he was of course grateful. But that was no excuse for getting lazy or complacent. This Oryani had already agreed that there was to be no trust between them. And that suited Nate just fine.

But Kat had apparently been "purchased" by a relative of this person, and Nate was counting the ticks until she came back. But as he waited he realized; he wasn't even sure what he was going to say to her when he saw her. Would he yell at her for getting them captured? Regard her with stony silence? He'd never been anxious when meeting his own sister but today he was. Because he truly did not know what sort of reaction he'd have. He supposed it would entirely depend upon what was said. He'd take it by ear.

Nate made sure to place the extra firewood directly on top of the dying fire, blowing on it a few times to help it catch. The action calmed him a bit, gave him something to concentrate on. And as he poked the fire with a stick Nate was secretly hoping that Kat did not return with her new "owner". He was under enough stress as it was, and seeing a man claim her like a piece of meat was not something he was looking forward to. Nate knew one thing for certain: if this Oryani's relative did not treat his sister with the respect she deserved, he'd find a way to make the man pay.

Family first, after all.

x

[Katerina Deveraux]

Day 45, Season Fall, 513 AV

Her brother knew better. He got lost in Syliras despite hunting in the forest every day for years. Why he thought it would be a good idea to wander off by himself into the Sea of Grass… he was an idiot. His stubborn pride was going to get him killed and worst of it—Kat knew if that happened it would be her fault exclusively. They were only here because of her, and Nate had no idea what was out there. Wandering off just to go hunting of all things was truly the worst idea he had ever had—as of yet.

To make matters worse, it was Oryani that was apparently sent off to find him. She liked her… future… well she supposed the word would be family, Oryani included. From what little they could communicate anyway. Poor Kalikar seemed to play translator quite a bit, though Kat was honestly doing her best to pick up Pavi as quickly as she could. But it was an incredibly difficult language seeing as they used their hands just as much as words. Sometimes just the hand motions alone were enough to get a point across. She wasn’t entirely sure if she should try and learn the words first, and then the hand signals—or just continue on the slow route of trying to remember what each word meant in both forms.

So Kat ended up sitting around for bells—all night actually—without sleep when it became clear that they were not returning that night. Which didn’t do much for her mood honestly. She wasn’t grumpy per say, but pleasant was far from a good description either. In an attempt to avoid thinking too hard and causing another migraine, she had ‘borrowed’ some of Kalikar’s clay and sat molding it endlessly until her fingers ached and the clay itself began to dry out. Her fingers were dusty, and she hadn’t managed to make even one successful bowl—or anything that looked like it—but it did keep her somewhat occupied.

Kalikar came to fetch her shortly after Syna’s rise, informing her that the—trio?—had returned and that they had gone to Oryani’s tent. Nate was still there? Kat’s stomach turned upside down. Knowing her brother, they probably hadn’t gotten along all night… if he stayed then that meant he was in his medic mode. Though Kalikar hadn’t mentioned that Oryani was injured, honestly it was the only thing that kept her from crumbling altogether. Despite all the planning, there hadn’t been much time for her to find her brother. Caught between learning this life, and letting go of her previous one.

Kat did her best to deny her nerves as she made her way to Oryani’s tent. It was one of the few places she could get to without getting completely lost. Kalikar wasn’t far behind, but she had the feeling he wasn’t going to join them in the tent. Or it was her assumption anyway. He hadn’t actually said much, which for the moment suited Kat just fine. It was probably written all over her face just how anxious she was. By the time she even reached Oryani’s tent flap she was tempted to turn around and waltz right back to the pavilion tent. All the what if’s were running through her head. What if her brother hated her… didn’t want to see her?

But Kat wasn’t a coward, not by any sense of the word. With a deep breath she pushed the tent flap back and stepped inside. The sight that greeted her was—unusual to say the least. Her eyes landed first on her brother of course, scanning him as they always did much like back home. Ensuring that her brother didn’t have any kind of wounds after a hunt, but he looked to be in fine shape. Her eyes shifted to Oryani, doing much the same. They both looked exhausted, but otherwise in one piece. Lastly she took in the form of a Drykas woman she didn’t know napping in a chair before she turned to face her brother.

The silence seemed to drag on forever as she tried to judge her brother’s mood. But really it didn’t matter in the long run. ”Are you stupid Nate?” She ground out from between her teeth. Despite the harsh words she was already moving, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. He was so much taller than her she had to stand on her toes, but she didn’t care. He could shove her away later, but this was the first time she had seen him in far too long. She had missed her brother far worse than she probably would ever admit. ”You could have gotten killed.” Kat groused into his shoulder.

[Oryani]

Fall 45th, 513 AV
Darkeye Pavilion

Over the few bells of waiting that came after Arundel's arrival, Oryani succeeded in completing a variety of personally important but relatively useless tasks. For one, she mused about where in the world Kat would have gone to take so long coming home... from what she knew, the woman had little to do outside of the pavilion... though the Darkeye sincerely hoped that would change soon enough... everyone needed to support themselves, in Endrykas. For a second, she managed to finish off the rest of the tea, adding a little to her general storage of water on top of that. Though she'd had quite the drink a few days earlier, and due to the natural Chatakwe organ she could go without liquid for 10 days... that didn't mean she didn't like a drink or two now and again.

Lasty, and probably most importantly, she snoozed. She'd wrapped herself in her blanket and found a slightly uncomfortable position to rest. She sat cross-legged on a small pillow, staring at the dwindling fire, with her back hunched. Every once in a while, her eyelids drifted shut, before opening again maybe thirty or so chimes later. Luckily, Nathan didn't seem to notice... she still found the man's behavior odd. However, she put that out of her mind in anticipation for the new arrival.

She was awakened by movement, and her eyes flashed open to see what it was... a person coming in? Though her head didn't move, she watched with a sleeping mind as Nathan came and fixed up the fire, generally keeping it alive. Though it wasn't entirely cold in here anymore, not with three residents... though oddly, none who truly lived in the pavilion. She herself slept in her own tent just outside, though she did spend quite a bit of time with her family. It was watching the man putter around that kept her awake for Katerina's entrance.

Oryani glanced up with a pleased expression as the woman walked in, glanced around, and immediately began scolding her brother. The Drykas grinned at the comments, quite pleased with Kat's complaints. It was true! If a man couldn't keep himself getting lost, he shouldn't be stupid enough to go wandering around in the Sea of Grass, of all places. Even an idiot knew it was dangerous... and she'd been shown that, despite Nathan's annoyances, he wasn't that kind of idiot.

"Hello Kat" she greeted the woman in Pavi, using one of the words she was pretty sure the Deveraux knew. Her voice held a few tinges of her exhaustion in it, but overall... she was quite pleased to see the woman. At least she would finally be able to prove to Nathan that Kat was not a slave, and she was not being mistreated or beaten or whatever the man thought slaves were supposed to do. She hadn't really understood that part... Common was such an annoying language.

[Arundel]

She had been resting rather fitfulling, now that Nathan was found and safe. It was hard to slip completely into sleep sitting in a straight-backed chair, but she would work with what she could. There was no chance Arundel would be leaving Nate alone right now, just to get a few winks on her warm sleeping pile back at the pavilion. He would hate her even more for how much she was going to hound him now like a dog on watch, making sure he didn't wander off - or worse. The beginnings of a foggy dream were just starting to form when the silence of their group was broken by a stern, feminine voice. It effectively jostled her awake, and she sat up quickly in her chair, wiping the sleep from her face. Some quick fire reprimands in Common, then Oryani's greeting in their familiar Pavi put her on edge. This was the meeting she'd been waiting for.

Arundel pushed herself up from the chair, but didn't move away from the spot where her feet seemed to be rooted. She stayed back, watching the reunion between brother and sister. It made her smile despite her own unease. It was obvious how much the two of them cared about each other - but she had already concluded that Nate and his sisters were close. It was obvious after her time with him. Maybe this would nudge him in a better direction with their new life. Kat looked healthy and very well-cared for - but she wasn't surprised. Nate's sister was of the Darkeye family now, and treated as an equal. That was to be the Drykas way with all of the those captured in the raids.

Arundel folded her arms over her chest and watched Nathan's reaction. Maybe she would see that rare side of him come through again. She was afraid though, that his sister would resent her - the woman who kept her brother. Or worse, maybe Kat would just not like her personality. She pursed her lips and hugged herself a little tighter. Why did she care? Arundel could probably lift his sister up and toss her through the air like a juggling ball. Stubbornly, she clenched her jaw; but still a degree of shyness kept her quiet and worrying. It was impossible to lie and try to convince herself that she didn't care.

[Nathaniel Deveraux]

Kat. It was Kat. He hadn't seen her since... since the day they were taken. Nate couldn't decide what he was feeling at that moment. Happy, to see his sister again? Well of course he was happy. She and Lea were the entirety of his existence when they were in Syliras.

Mad, because she seemed... more stable? More content, then he was? He didn't see his own strain, his own anger, his own frustration at their current situation mirrored on Kat's face, and if he was being honest with himself it annoyed him that she was finding some measure of peace in Endrykas when all he felt was anger, frustration, and hurt.

Sad, because she didn't seem to care? Nate did know better, of course. Somewhere inside he knew Kat did care that he wasn't happy here, but she certainly did not show it. Her very demeanor implied a comfort with her situation Nate did not share. And that just saddened Nate more. He knew it was a selfish thing to think, but what about him?

But Kat was still the same old Kat. She called him stupid and he couldn't help but give her a shaky smile as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, and he fiercely hugged her back. He felt all those things, of course, to a certain degree. But he knew what it was that he was feeling at that moment most of all.

Relief. Relief he finally got back a piece of himself he thought the Drykas had taken away forever. The splitting up of their family had been one of the most painful things Nate had ever experienced. Given the Drykas focus on family, Nate would've thought they wouldn't do such a thing, but apparently that consideration did not extend to their captives.

Granted, it wasn't like the slaves he'd heard of in the north, where the families were separated and carted off to far off places, never to see one another again. That hadn't been the case here; at least not so far. Nate didn't know what the future would hold, and that was why he held tight to Kat, as though he was scared the Drykas would rip them apart. It had happened once before, it could happen again.

"Hey, now, Kat, I'm not that bad a hunter," Nate tried, even though he knew the real problem wasn't his skill as a hunter but rather his lack of skill as a navigator. He was bad enough in the woods of Syliras and he had years of roaming that place. His relative inexperience in the Sea virtually guaranteed he'd get lost.

Oryani was relatively quiet, and Nate pointedly ignored her. If she spoke directly to him he'd respond, but despite knowing that it was her family that 'purchased' Kat; in fact - no, because it was her family that purchased Kat, Nate did not particularly like or trust her. And then there was Arundel. Nate was not certain how he should introduce his 'owner'. Or if he even should.

As a slave, he was he even permitted to speak for her? It was not something he was necessarily certain of. It was a new dynamic he was trying hard not to get used to, a culture he was trying hard not to accept. Part of the reason he'd gone hunting in the first place was because in the past, when he was in Syliras, it had been a form of relaxation for him. But the unfamiliar surroundings of the Sea of Grass was anything but relaxing, so even that had been robbed from him.

With a heavy sigh, Nate turned to his sister. She, at least, was still a constant in his life. He didn't know if they'd even let him see her again, so he had to make the most of the time he'd been given. Gently releasing her, Nate smiled down and patted Kat's head, like he used to back in Syliras when they were younger.

"How have you been, Kat? Have they been treating you well?" he asked, and he really couldn't prevent the worry in his voice. He was genuinely concerned, despite himself. Because if she was being mistreated in any way, he did not care what happened to him. There would be hai to pay, he'd make sure of it.

x

[Katerina Deveraux]

All the worrying felt like it was for nothing. In the very least her brother didn’t ‘hate’ her enough to shove her away. He gave her a weak smile and just hugged back. He tried hard to blow off the fact he wandered into wilds he didn’t know alone, and could have died. ”Yeah, you’re hunting skills are plenty up to par. But you get lost twirling in a circle.” The stress in her voice was obvious despite her attempt to lighten the situation as much as he was. Banter was their way of showing each other they cared after all. So long as it didn’t spiral anyways.

Pulling away from Nate enough to observe him, she scanned him up and down one more time. He really did look alright from the looks of it. Relief spread across her, followed shortly by the exhaustion. All the worrying and lack of sleep felt like it caught up to her in just ticks and she sighed, rubbing one hand across her face. Nate’s inquiry about how she had been treated so far was a loaded question and she knew it. But she wasn’t bound to lie to him—because he’d know it for one. And there really wasn’t a reason to either.

”I’ve been… good.” Kat shrugged weakly and stared up at him warily. ”All things considered.” While Kat wasn’t miserable, it still wasn’t her first choice of route, getting out of Syliras. But Nate… ”Uhm… Oryani’s family has been treating me very well actually.” Nothing had been forced upon her yet anyways. ”Are you injured? You look tired…” Kat knew it was probably a stupid question, but she wanted to hear it from him personally. Even if he did lie to her, seeing as he wasn’t likely to tell her if he was injured.

Glancing at Oryani, she gave her a small smile. ”Hello Oryani.” She gave it her best Pavi that she could—it was one of the words she learned first. But the actual sign from her hands might have been wrong. She was still having issues remembering which signs went with which words, and her vocabulary wasn’t even all that large yet. She at least counted it towards the positive that she was trying. It got old very quickly having to have someone translate a full sentence to her every time she had a question.

”Are you… alright?” She didn’t know the Pavi words to the question, so she did her best to keep it shorter and to the point. Her brother was used to such… excursions. Though she was quite sure Oryani was more than capable of taking care of herself too. Pointing at the tent flap Kat glanced up at Nate for a split tick before back at Oryani. ”Kalikar is… outside. ” Kat wasn’t sure if he planned on staying out there, but she at least felt the need to let her know her uncle wasn’t far. And more than likely the rest of her family too.

After a long moment that felt awkward… at least to her, Kat looked at the unnamed woman that had been quite thus far, but clearly watching their exchange. Since Kat hadn’t met her yet she highly doubted she was a member of Oryani’s family. Especially since she didn’t have their trademark eyes. ”Hello…” Kat cleared her throat nerviously before looking back up at Nate. ”Do you know her Nate?”

[Oryani]

Fall 45th, 513 AV
Darkeye Pavilion

The pair seemed to have a happy reunion, though Oryani didn't even bother trying to decode their speech. They chattered a bit, in the sarcastic tones that siblings did, hugging each other as well. Nathan seemed happier than she'd ever seen him... but that wasn't saying much. At least she could finally prove her point that Kat was not being treated badly. With her legs crossed she continued to watch the pair, not caring that it might seem slightly awkward.

When Kat's attention turned to the Chatakwe, she smiled and nodded, hands too busy holding the blanket to do anything else. "Tired" she said in Common, shrugging slightly. She didn't think the woman understood the Pavi word for that, anyways. She nodded after hearing that Kalikar was outside... though she vaguely wondered what the point of it was. It was probably better that Nathan didn't meet her Uncle until later, but had they known that such a reunion was coming? No one had said anything... right?

She stifled a yawn, but that simply brought out another round of coughs. This one was short, but just as painful as usual. When she regained her breath, the Drykas refused to look at anyone, instead staring into the pavilion floor. She didn't like being sick, and she didn't like people coddling over her when she was sick. Her grandmother had figured that out quite quickly, and instead of being sweet to Oryani when she was down... medicine and orders were given harshly and sternly.

OOCAk, sorry for the late/short post