Day 33 of Spring in the Year 514 AV
The moon was pale when Callipsia finally sauntered back to Tatianna's Fury on her own, with Visi wrapped lovingly around her hips. For once in her life, she had meant to seek her own business venture, and she hadn't been able to close it on her own.
It wasn't my fault, She told herself with a patient sigh, taking comfort in the hand coiled into Visi's scaled tail. The ruddy normal just wanted his way with me. He never wanted a business deal.
She didn't want to admit it would have gone better with Tydus there. The though grazed the edges of her mind like hounds circling a campfire, waiting for the defiant embers to burn out. If I can just get one, she thought carefully, as she walked into the cabin and slumped onto the bed with a sigh. Would he respect her as a Lia then? Would Kel?
The thought made her chuckle, as Visi slid off her to take up residence in a basket designated for her in the corner. The thought of Kel respecting anything but his Tavan and Tydus - on occasion - made her spirits lighten.
As the chuckle faded, and all she could hear was the sea breeze over her cabin, the girl tossed and turned uneasily, until the light hit a note that rest softly under her door. Crossing her eyes at it mistrustfully, she reluctantly rose and padded on the creaky floor boards to the foreign paper. Opening the rough crease, there was only one sloppily written word in the middle, hard to make out as the ink may not have dried before it was slipped under the door. But it was there, plain and painful as day, in Tydus' handwriting.
"Kenash."
Calli's tongue dried, and the paper immediately crumbled in her hand as she fought the urge for tears to well in her eyes. Kenash. After what they had been through together mere nights ago, after feeling their bodies melt into one and climb together to a point of ultimate pleasure - after losing everything together, he was just going to abandon her there, on the docks of Riverfall, like the bodies of their podmates?
Visi raised her head as her master punched into the wall of the casinor, the frame holding up against the girl's anger - barely. She shook and shivered, and just stood there in awe of it for a moment. After all of those speeches of family after every law and code she ever memorized of her people, and every word out of Tydus' mouth about the Pod - the second they submit to desire that were long overdue, he abandons her to shore like the normal sallies he beds at every other coast?
No. As she tightened her grip on the parchment and tossed it aside, she pulled out Tatianna's old atlas,and flipped to the page to Kenash. It would be a long journey from here, and she had no way of knowing how long of a head start he had on her. But she couldn't let this go unanswered. She couldn't let him leave her. Tatianna would never allow such insubordinance.
Gulping, she tightened her brow, and followed the coastal route from Riverfall to Kenash on the atlas. It looked doable, but she would have to get a move on and fast. She had enough rations to last her and even enough winds to sate her - but the longer she waited, the longer of a head start existed.
It couldn't have been later than two or three bells in the morning. The moon shone high. The winds were nice. It was a blessed time to sail. And so, she would.
Unwinding the rope from the gunwail, she pulled anchor and set about the oars to get her out from the bay, quietly whispering a prayers as she went.
"Brave Laviku," She began, voice shaken by the sudden news and decision she was now taking. "Hear me now, an' forgive me f'r what I've done. You took from us our pod an' our mother, an' gave them t'me. An' now, I'm both. I've done a ruddy job keeping anyone around, and I know that. So I - "
She paused as the oars pulled her far enough out to sea, pulling them inside the ship, and standing to open the modest mast, tying it off so it would catch the most wind before finding her rudder.
"Please, Lord Laviku," Callipsia found herself choking out now, tears welling up under the raging blue eyes. "You've taken everythin' else I've had from me. Don' let my mistakes take the one thing I have left. I'll do anythin'. ".
With a harsh jut of the rudder, the casinor broke a small wave and plopped back down another ten feet down with an ocean spray. Visi slithered out from the cabin to twine around her shoulders, her tongue hissing comfortingly and flicking the tear on her face.
"Not now, love," She told the snake as she manned the rudder with both hands, trying to focus on the task at hand now. "We've a long night ahead."
It wasn't my fault, She told herself with a patient sigh, taking comfort in the hand coiled into Visi's scaled tail. The ruddy normal just wanted his way with me. He never wanted a business deal.
She didn't want to admit it would have gone better with Tydus there. The though grazed the edges of her mind like hounds circling a campfire, waiting for the defiant embers to burn out. If I can just get one, she thought carefully, as she walked into the cabin and slumped onto the bed with a sigh. Would he respect her as a Lia then? Would Kel?
The thought made her chuckle, as Visi slid off her to take up residence in a basket designated for her in the corner. The thought of Kel respecting anything but his Tavan and Tydus - on occasion - made her spirits lighten.
As the chuckle faded, and all she could hear was the sea breeze over her cabin, the girl tossed and turned uneasily, until the light hit a note that rest softly under her door. Crossing her eyes at it mistrustfully, she reluctantly rose and padded on the creaky floor boards to the foreign paper. Opening the rough crease, there was only one sloppily written word in the middle, hard to make out as the ink may not have dried before it was slipped under the door. But it was there, plain and painful as day, in Tydus' handwriting.
"Kenash."
Calli's tongue dried, and the paper immediately crumbled in her hand as she fought the urge for tears to well in her eyes. Kenash. After what they had been through together mere nights ago, after feeling their bodies melt into one and climb together to a point of ultimate pleasure - after losing everything together, he was just going to abandon her there, on the docks of Riverfall, like the bodies of their podmates?
Visi raised her head as her master punched into the wall of the casinor, the frame holding up against the girl's anger - barely. She shook and shivered, and just stood there in awe of it for a moment. After all of those speeches of family after every law and code she ever memorized of her people, and every word out of Tydus' mouth about the Pod - the second they submit to desire that were long overdue, he abandons her to shore like the normal sallies he beds at every other coast?
No. As she tightened her grip on the parchment and tossed it aside, she pulled out Tatianna's old atlas,and flipped to the page to Kenash. It would be a long journey from here, and she had no way of knowing how long of a head start he had on her. But she couldn't let this go unanswered. She couldn't let him leave her. Tatianna would never allow such insubordinance.
Gulping, she tightened her brow, and followed the coastal route from Riverfall to Kenash on the atlas. It looked doable, but she would have to get a move on and fast. She had enough rations to last her and even enough winds to sate her - but the longer she waited, the longer of a head start existed.
It couldn't have been later than two or three bells in the morning. The moon shone high. The winds were nice. It was a blessed time to sail. And so, she would.
Unwinding the rope from the gunwail, she pulled anchor and set about the oars to get her out from the bay, quietly whispering a prayers as she went.
"Brave Laviku," She began, voice shaken by the sudden news and decision she was now taking. "Hear me now, an' forgive me f'r what I've done. You took from us our pod an' our mother, an' gave them t'me. An' now, I'm both. I've done a ruddy job keeping anyone around, and I know that. So I - "
She paused as the oars pulled her far enough out to sea, pulling them inside the ship, and standing to open the modest mast, tying it off so it would catch the most wind before finding her rudder.
"Please, Lord Laviku," Callipsia found herself choking out now, tears welling up under the raging blue eyes. "You've taken everythin' else I've had from me. Don' let my mistakes take the one thing I have left. I'll do anythin'. ".
With a harsh jut of the rudder, the casinor broke a small wave and plopped back down another ten feet down with an ocean spray. Visi slithered out from the cabin to twine around her shoulders, her tongue hissing comfortingly and flicking the tear on her face.
"Not now, love," She told the snake as she manned the rudder with both hands, trying to focus on the task at hand now. "We've a long night ahead."
