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 Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 12:03 pm
I N T R O D U C T I O N x S O L O
Aisha's Children Never once had Akacia seen fit to question the unity of her Alkidike sisters. There were always differences of opinion, as there tended to be in families, but she still expected that even a family as large and diverse as hers could find a common ground. They could find a way to turn every situation so that all parties involved would be appeased. Maybe not happy, but definitely not distinctly unhappy.
Over a year ago now, she’d been shown otherwise.
She'd been shown what could happen when her 'family' really put itself at odds. When a great collection of powerful and headstrong women all butted heads with each other, sometimes happiness and appeasement were just not options. Unfortunately, Akacia Unali-Kallisan was on the losing end of that argument. And now, she was decidedly unhappy.
This island was not her home. Her sisters were angry, tense, and struggling to survive away from their great mother goddess. All of them had known that choosing to follow their matron meant being separated from lovers, children, sisters, and their mother. They’d known life would change; nothing would be the same. In theory, it sounded awful and unbearable, if not strangely romantic in their persistence and willingness to continue to fight for what they believed in. In practice, it was far worse than anything the young Alkidike woman could have imagined.. If Akacia didn’t know better, she’d say she died, and ‘Yael’ was another word for ‘hell.’ The only reason she knew otherwise was because of the sisters that remained at her side. They gave her confidence, strength, and hope. And hope had no place in a true hell.
Despite her growing impatience to return home and enjoy all the things the more familiar land of Chibale offered (because really, who would stop them if they tried? It wasn’t as though they were being guarded), the young teenager found ways to entertain herself. She was a charismatic thing, vocal in her thoughts and needs and very eager to stick near to the small group of girls that were actually close in age to her. Many of the less experienced Alkidike teenaged extremists had been forced to remain in Chibale by their more... forgiving guardians. Aka had not been one of those, and she felt near painfully surrounded by older, stronger women.
Regardless, she had her group of friends, a smattering of three girls younger than her, whose guardians weren't as soft as some. They joined her in her fun, when time permitted. It wasn't often that the whole bunch was together for anything other than combat drills, but they'd managed it for now.
Today’s special brand of entertainment came in the form of a young, Yaeli male. He must’ve been no more than half her age, but Earthlings were all so small, it might have been too difficult to tell properly. He was pitiful. Filthy. Wide-eyed. Much too far from home for anyone to know where he was. And completely helpless.
“What do you think we should do with him?” Asked Shoshiry, a piece from Akacia's collection of friends. She was the smallest of the bunch. Eager to prove herself and be noticed. She had a bounce about her that Aka found very near annoying, but she let it slide. Arguing in front of her prey wouldn't lend itself to being presented as a treacherous, unified force of danger with her sisters, and that was worth more than a snap at a young friend.
“We could eat him,” A second girl jeered. “It’s been so long since we’ve had Earthling meat...” Akacia might have rolled her eyes at Naguae for her unnecessary and surely unbelievable fear tactics. But when a pitiful squeak of alarm erupted from the smaller man and earned a chorus of chuckles and laughter from the girls, she decided to let that slide, as well. No reason not to, if he believed such nonsense! Earthling were truly far inferior.
The boy sat on the ground in front of them, covered in scrapes, mud, and bruises from being repeatedly pushed and shoved about by the older (and clearly stronger) girls. After being tackled, ransacked, and dragged by a far-too-exuberant Naguae, he’d since given up on escape. He now cast his gaze between them in expectant terror, the creepy glow in his eyes darting from one girl to the next. When they landed and held on Akacia, she smiled and moved to crouch in front of him. He knew who owned him here. Good.
”Do you see how impatient my friends are?” She complained in a soft coo to the wide-eyed boy as she reached her fingers out to slip through the wet, muddy mop of his hair. ”And so shortsighted… You’d only do our bellies good for a couple hours if we ate you…” Akacia waited for the muted rumbling of amusement to subside before continuing. ”I think I’ve got a better idea. Oh, shush, you-” She commanded stiffly, pinching one of his red little cheeks when he whined. ”Auntie Akacia won’t let anything bad-”
The Yaeli boy jerked from the touch, and his eyes narrowed on her. The movement was so unexpected that Akacia nearly twitched, herself. And the thought of that irritated her far more than it should have. “Is that your name?” He demanded softly, only to lapse into a yelp as her fingers found their way from his cheek to tangle roughly in his hair and yank upwards.
The young Alkidike’s eyes narrowed. ”Of course it is!” Aka snapped, shaking him to help prove her point. ”Don’t interrupt!” He flinched, and she shoved down on his head, only relenting when his face hit the mud again. ”As I was saying, Auntie Akacia won’t let anything bad happen get to you, hm? So long as you help me out too.” Her words, once soft and teasing, were now hissed through grit teeth. There was no reason for patience or gentleness for people who did not immediately offer her respect. Especially not an Earthling.
The shift in tone was enough to dissuade the little Yaeli boy from further resistance. As he shifted to lift himself farther from the mud, he gave a mute nod, despite the clear lack of trust in his eyes.
”You look here.” She produced a rough, thin blade of grass from her pouch and shoved it under his nose. He squeezed his eyes shut before the command registered fully, then blinked them open again. Unfortunately, the Alkidike weren’t familiar with much of the flora that grew on this cursed island. Sometimes her sisters got sick. Sometimes they needed herbal remedies. Sometimes the usual place for collecting such things was sparse. And she was in a helpful mood today. ”You know where this grows?” Akacia demanded, flicking the frond against his lips.
The boy gave the plant a brief once-over, then a curt nod.
Oh, wonderful, he was useful as more than just a chew toy for Aka and her sisters. ”Great. Bring me some. Here. Tomorrow. This time,” she quipped frostily.
“Why would I-?” He had such a pitifully small voice, it was hardly worth listening to.
Akacia let out an impatient grunt and rolled her eyes. She shifted from her crouch, rose to her full height, and put her hands on her hips. Her toes dug into the earth. ”Because if you don’t, we’ll burn your house to the ground and eat your family and make you watch, okay?” This seemed to be plenty reason enough. The Yaeli gave a hurried nod. Akacia edged back toward her sisters, gaze on the young child all the while. She didn't look at her friends, but the tension in the air was palpable. They felt ready to pounce. Earthling probably weren't receptive to such things, but surely he could see it, if not feel it.
She almost wanted him to do something he'd regret. Almost. Instead, Akacia gave a dismissive shooing flick of her fingers to the young lad. There was a heartbeat of hesitation. Uncertainty if he was really free to go. Then the young Yaeli scrambled away with all due haste. What an uncoordinated pile of two-legged waste...
Shoshiry shot her a questioning glance once the sounds of his retreat had quieted. “You don’t really think he’ll come back, do you?" She questioned dubiously. "I wouldn’t… At least not without reinforcements… Do you expect their smart enough for that? These earthlings look real different than the usual ones.”
Akacia shrugged and crossed her arms. This bunch was a bit different than the Shifters. Less impressive, if that were possible. The whole lot hadn't made a move against them since the Alkidike had landed on their island. And how miserable was that? ”They’re all such pansies, I doubt reinforcements would help them… If he doesn’t come back, it just means we wasted a day torturing a kid and having a good bit of well-deserved fun. If he does come back, he better at least have brought the herbs.”
There was no telling for sure what exactly they'd accomplished that day. Helping their sisters, or just exploring the locale. Either way, with her distraction fleeing, Aka lapsed into quiet, simmering displeasure once more. It was a chore. A horrible, cruel, completely unnecessary chore living here. She liked to think they got along alright. This exile couldn't last forever. And the matron definitely couldn’t possibly be content to remain in these uncultured lands too much longer…
If they were very lucky, perhaps there'd be time to raid and burn any Yaeli villages on this island before they made their way home.x
x
Results: Aka hates Yael and enjoys tormenting little boys.
Word Count: 1601
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 2:23 pm
D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
By the Mother Goddess What in Aisha's roots was that thing supposed to be? A year after their exile, and Akacia was starting to wonder if perhaps she'd ingested enough pollutant to start hallucinating. Because from where she stood, among the gathering of her sisters, all gazing toward their matron, it looked like the Alkidke woman held a disfigured, discolored, mutilated infant child in her hands. And it sounded like she was pleased about it.
This, surely, was far from accurate, despite what Aka's ears and eyes told her. Because all around her, the sisters that had waged war against Earthling and Alkidike dissenters alike cheered for this tiny monstrosity.
It was ugly, and the young teen derived a very small pleasure from her matron recognizing that it wasn't Alkidike. It was not like them. It did not deserve their name. But she gave it a new one (Aka didn't think it deserved that, either), and told them this creature, the Elaria would save them. Save them from what? Akacia had no idea, but she didn't need saving. Especially not by that hideous little thing.
The matron claimed Alkidike tradition was dying, and that Aisha grew weaker. She'd seen it before they'd been banished. Aka thought that was nonsense. Goddesses did not die. And their mother was a great and beautiful, powerful goddess, who'd been blessing their Alkidike tribe with many sisters for as long as anyone could remember. Why would that stop now?
Why would the matron think to replace the goddess that gave her birth? Why would her sisters cheer while she tried?
This was not right. This was not right, and Akacia could hardly stand to listen to it. This island was bad enough without any added ordeals. And a new species for them to stave off was clearly an ordeal. It went against everything she'd fought for when she'd combated her sisters that still remained on Chibale. Alkidike supremacy, world domination, eradication of anything that was not born of their goddess. These Elaria were everything she'd been taught to hate. Everything she thought everyone else hated.
She didn't understand, and Akacia was smart enough to know that anything she said here would fall on deaf ears.
She was young and foolish. She didn't know what she was talking about. The Elaria were new and brought hope to a people that had been cast from their home and lost much when they'd been desperate to gain so much more. They were not born of Aka's mother, but of Aisha's sister. They were family. Cousins. And they would uphold Alkidike tradition once Aisha withered away.
It was all blasphemous and nothing that Akacia wanted to hear or be apart of.
Despite her best intentions to seem fierce, angry, and dignified as she removed herself from the crowd, Aka felt small and imagined she looked the part to anyone paying her any mind at all. Maybe once she was alone with her guardian, Leyeta could explain why this was truly necessary better than a mindless crowd. Or better yet, perhaps the older woman would agree that Akacia was right, and this was foolishness. Either way, she still needed to wait for the great rambunctiousness to die down before she could do much of anything.
It was a long, arduous wait.x
x
Results: Aka is disgusted by ugly, unwanted children.
Word Count: 547
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 2:28 pm
AKACIA'S THOUGHTSResults: ???
PRP Posts: ???
JR Word Count: ???
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 2:46 pm
P R P x R E F L E C T I O NToxicousins The day started as troublesome as one might expect. The Elaria grow stronger and more entitled every day, and watching them from birth untl now... It sickens me. On occasion, I feel it is my duty to remind them of who their superiors are. Such was it that I found myself in a training match with one of the younger girls. A whiny thing. No business thinking she's better than me. I did what needed to be done and put her to the ground.
This usually garners a bit of malcontent from my sisters, and I anticipated such might be the case when I was approached by a woman hardly any older than me.
Imagine my surprise, when I came to learn that Ai holds some of my own beliefs toward the cretinous Elaria spawn as true. I did not expect to find a comrade this day, but I am pleased that I have. She is no more lenient toward them than I am and seems quite the exceptional warrior, from what little I've seen.
But it has been only a little that I've seen. And if I am to be impressed, I'll need to know more.Results: Met Ai.
PRP Posts: 12
JR Word Count: 197
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 8:17 am
C L A S S x A F I N I T Y x S O L O
Driving Feeling Days, weeks, months, years. For all Akacia's complaints about the land and everything in it, she stuck around far longer than she'd ever wanted to. Not from lack of inspiration, mind you, but because charging off reckless and angry seemed... not the best method to get what she wanted. She wasn't a fool. She could not take the entire world on by herself, as much as she wanted to.
She'd managed to convince herself that in time, after the newness of the poison brats wore off, she could dredge up some support from her sisters and go from there. Maybe journey from this land together. They'd been in exile long enough. This place was not home, and everyone needed to stop treating it as such. Unfortunately, many of her sisters were very fond of the seeds of hope the infant blooms brought forth, and hearing the ravings of anyone less impressed did not often inspire a good mood.
Akacia was not accustomed to being muttered about behind her back. Her concerns were once dismissed as the tantrums of a child, but time and repetition made her island mates short-tempered and well beyond annoyed with her antics.
The young woman stepped through the camp with her head held high, arms crossed behind her back and gaze flicking to meet anyone else' who would so much as look at her. They could be as disappointing and displeased in her as they liked. She wasn't exactly fond of them, either. Still. She'd once fancied herself a young queen among those of her age. A leader. Liked. Wanted. Her companionship had been worth something. Now she was lucky if anyone so much as looked at her.
Today seemed like a day for initiative. Anxiety made Akacia ever more eager to leave and ever more desperate for the companionship that would allow her to do so with any hope of getting back to where she wanted to be.
Her options were slim.
Today's conquest hopeful came in the form of a young woman Aka hadn't spoken with in ages. When they'd first arrived on the island, years ago now, Aka had considered her a friend. An underling, but a friend. Annoying, hyper, younger than Akacia herself, but a friend nonetheless. And now because the girl was younger than Aka and many of her sisters, she seemed the perfect first to mold to her understanding. Once she had one comrade, others would follow.
Her target's current location: seated at a bonfire, eating freshly cooked meat with a small posse of other Alkidike and a smattering of Elaria children, as well. She had her back to Aka, though several others did not. Not ideal circumstances, but between Aka's desire to never be in camp, as well as the younger female's apparently very social attitude, there was little other way to engage her.
Akacia stepped forward and dusted her fingers to the back of her old companion's shoulder. "Shoshiry. Sister," she greeted with a tooth expression that might've been a smile.
Shoshiry was tense when Akacia touched her, likely alerted by the whispers that had broken out as soon as the woman stepped within "confrontation range." Aka saw her friend's sigh more than heard it, and a second later, Shoshiry turned to peer up at her. "What do you want, Akacia." A demand more than a question. The girl's impatience was palpable.
"Come," she extended a hand down to help the younger woman to her feet. Shoshiry's gaze flicked to her fingers, then back to her face. She didn't move. "Speak with me. It will only take a moment."
Shoshiry rolled her shoulders. Her gaze tipped away from Aka's face, up toward the thick tree branches above, and she hummed softly. "I... think am content here. We're enjoying ourselves with stories from our past hunts." There was a pause and the younger female fleetingly glanced back to Akacia. "I'm sure you have many. Why don't you join us? You used to be very good at telling stories..."
The immediate refusal on the tip of Akacia's tongue petered out. She hadn't done anything expressly social in many moons, and there'd been a time when it had been a great joy.
Her dark eyes trailed to each of the three Elaria in the group, seated around the fire, interspersed among the Alkidike like they thought they belonged. The tip of her antennae twitched. Aka grimaced. "No. We will speak in private, then you may return once I am finished-"
It was not Shoshiry that interrupted her. That probably would've been forgivable. Instead, it was the smallest of the bunch, a very young, perhaps no more than three years, Elaria girl. She piped up with such a squeaky voice that it set Aka's teeth on edge. "Ya got told no. She's not going nowhere with you, so you better shut up or-"
Akacia lurched for her, tossing herself over Shoshiry's own form to lodge her fingers in the mess of dreds at the top of the Elaria's head and yank her forward. "Little slime. If I am ever interested in your opinion, I will ask for it. Until then-"
There was time for little else. Shoshiry's fist cracked hard against the side of Akacia's face, and Aka dropped to the ground like a stone, a screeching toddler still held very firmly in her claws. She was back on her feet in less than a second flat, dragging the youngest girl with her all the while. Aka's eyes snapped to her once friend, brows pinching, bloody lip puckering, and gaze narrowing to slits. "That's my-"
If she'd wanted to talk before, she didn't now. No explanation would change this. With a growl, Aka lifted the girl from her feet, hold swapping from her hair to the back of her neck as she flung the youngest female at Shoshiry. The other Alkidike caught the now-wailing child with a gasp. Her feet caught against the edge of the log she'd been seated on, and she tipped backward. The thud and sharp intake of breath as she landed in the dirt made Aka grin. A crazy, angry grin. But a grin all the same.
She dove. Behind her, the other Alkidike in the group had burst into action, grabbing at her and snarling and trying to force her away. But when Akacia latched onto a thing, she didn't let go, and her nails had found a comfortable, bloody purchase in either of Shoshiry's arms. The bundle of Elaria girl between them pressed in tight and close away from Aka and kept her bug-gut colored eyes pinched shut.
"You listen to me," Akacia hissed, leaning in close enough to Shoshiry's face that her breath rebounded off the other female's face. Arms were starting to come between them, trying to pry them apart. "You will all regret defending, protecting, and coddling these vile little children. They have no attachment to us. They are not of our goddess, and they do not deserve your time and devotion. Drop her."
The other woman's breath came out in soft pants. Her arms curled around the smaller girl with renewed tension, and when she glared back at Akacia, it was with intense determination. "This is my daughter." Aka's entire body flooded with ice. Cold, rigid, still.
The moment was immediately seized by the others from the group, violently shoving Aka off Shoshiry and helping the woman and her... child up with all due haste and quick pats to gauge for injuries. Aka still sat frozen, eyes widened, gaze to the ground. Her once-friends were already seeking children from Elzira. Protecting them and defending them as if they were Alkidike children. She swallowed. It wasn't right. How had this happened so quickly? Did they all just mindlessly-?
The group stared down at her, scoffed, told her she was a traitor, that she was wrong. One of them spat and walked away. Shoshiry hesitated, daughter still in her arms. "I almost feel pity, you know." Aka's head snapped up. "Why are you so stuck in how things used to be? You don't give them a chance. We will raise them to be like us. Powerful warriors, devoted to their goddess, appreciative and respectful of our way of life. What you want was lost long ago to hybrids, Earthlings, and earth scum." She patted her still-sniffling girl's head and turned, moving back into the group of her more supportive companions. Her next words were tossed over her shoulder, more softly than any of the rest. "It would be best if you didn't seek me out, anymore."
When Akacia returned home, it was to find that her own guardian, Layeta was out elsewhere. Hopefully not socializing. She would hear of the incident before Akacia was ready to explain herself, more than likely.
For the better part of the afternoon, she sat and stared at the leaning wall of their jungle-built home. She sat on the ground, cross-legged, back hunched, and quite dissatisfied. Her friends were pleading for children. Or, her used-to-be-friends. This seemed like such a more offensive slight than those she didn't know as well. Times were changing. The world was changing. Akacia didn't like it. She'd been happy before. Her life hadn't needed change. She wanted to go back to that. To being the queen.
At some point in her murky thoughts, it dawned on her that she might do better if her hands were occupied. Or if her mind was elsewhere, but that was out of her hands.
She collected her bow and quiver from near the entryway and stepped back out. Slipping out of camp was likely the most shameful thing she'd ever done. Scurrying like a rodent, uninterested in being seen. But one encounter with her tribe-mates that day was more than enough. She would feel better on her way back in.
Once free of camp's confines and away from interruptions, she set herself to focusing on more menial tasks. Stringing her bow in quick drills, to be done thoughtlessly, in an instant. She wasn't one to admit she was wrong. And certainly not over something she'd be fighting for years. String, draw, relax, unstring.
Shoshiry was hardly an actual friend, anyway. Aka'd always found her rather annoying. String, draw, relax, unstring. She hadn't been close to any of the girls she'd traveled from Chibale with. And they were surely all against her now. String, draw, relax, unstring.
Breathe.
She reached for her quiver, plucked out one arrow, notched it, and held her breath. If she had to go alone, that was... well, miserable, probably. She'd never not been around her tribe. She loosed, and the arrow 'thunked' dully into her target tree trunk. Inhale. Aka collected two more arrows from her quiver. But how bad could alone really be? She was basically alone now, if not worse off. Surrounded by people who disagreed with her and things she hated. 'Thunk, thunk.'
Besides, 'alone' was such a strong word. She notched another. Her mother goddess' spirit was still in her, if not anyone else. Regardless of what the other Extremists said, Aisha was still fully alive. And watching her. 'Thunk.' And perhaps...
Well, none of her old friends were on her side, and she wasn't familiar with very many Alkidike outside of that, but... What about that Ai girl? She'd seemed very capable. Akacia didn't know her well but that was something that could change. She loosed another. It was easy, mind-numbing practice. Hardly a workout when not faced with a moving target, but it was also peaceful. And it'd managed to bring her mind back to Ai.
Which seemed exactly like the thing Aka needed to quell her agitations.
For a time, anyway.
Then her thoughts turned to how she might successfully convince the other woman to join her in her world travels. She hadn't seemed especially open to the idea of moving when Aka brought it up the first time. And it was one thing to ruin a chance with Shoshiry, and a whole other to ruin a chance with Ai...
Irrelevant for now, she decided as she continued to shoot. She'd met the woman once and still knew so little about her. If anything, Ai was a reason to linger just a bit longer, and little more.
The sky was dark by the time Akacia felt calm enough to return home. She collected her arrows from the tree, unstrung her bow, and headed back toward camp. She would not slink like prey when she entered. She would not apologize for her actions, and she would explain to Layeta why she was justified in her response to everything. When that didn't go over well (because it wouldn't), she would tell her guardian full well and with certainty that she was not long for this land.x
x
Results: Aka beats up a toddler then busies herself shooting things.
Word Count: 2137
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 8:24 am
AKACIA'S THOUGHTSResults: ???
PRP Posts: ???
JR Word Count: ???
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:04 am
F A M I L I A R x S O L O
Queen of the Fairies The trees were alive with activity this day, which was neither an unusual nor an impressive feat on its own, but whatever was happening down there, this scene-
From her perch among the low-hanging branches of a great, looming tree, Akacia watched a most peculiar display. She'd departed camp that morning on a solo hunting mission. Nothing exciting. Nothing to tell stories over. She wouldn't even venture that far from home. Usually there was very little of interest that happened in this forest. Sometimes an Earthling would wander too far from its village and need to be taught not to stray. Sometimes a tree would fall and block the normal freshwater supply.
Very rarely did prey creatures attack predator creatures. Akacia squinted at the mass of fluttering... insects? As they dove, dipped, screeched, and jabbed at a limbara that certainly weighed more than Aka did herself. Did they plan on eating it? Maybe it had strayed into their mating grounds by accident, and this was its punishment. She didn't know how the altercation began, but it pleased her to bear witness to it.
The limbara opened its jaw and released a low, pitiful sound. Were the insects poisonous? No, maybe not insects. They had hands and feet. Wings. Expressions. They were kind of ugly, like the toxic girls. The one Aka had her attention on gave a startled chime as the limbara's teeth clamped down on it, and the small creature was gone forever.
Aka strung her bow in a second flat. Later, she would question why she would sacrifice an arrow to the plight of a pack of insect-children, but in the moment, she didn't think. Merely loosed.
Her arrow caught the creature in the eye. It howled, whipped its head, staggered, dipped, stayed, and lay unmoving on Yael's soft terrain. Aka had but a second to observe it and wonder if its meat was salvageable or if the insects really were poisonous, before she was promptly bombarded.
The bugs found her quickly, effortlessly. But not silently, by any means. One of them flew directly into her face, caught one of her dreads in its tiny fingers, and tugged. It patted her on the nose. It chimed loudly at her eye. Akacia swatted it with enough force to knock it clear from the sky. Her decent from the tree in the span of moments following, was far from graceful.
Despite Aka's attempts at slapping, swatting, tossing, flinging, or otherwise disengaging the little imps, their curiosity had been peaked, and they fluttered after her in a small, clearly gossiping pack.x
x
Results: Makes friends with a pack of sprites and imps.
Word Count: 430
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:08 am
AKACIA'S THOUGHTSResults: ???
PRP Posts: ???
JR Word Count: ???
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 1:19 pm
G R O W T H x S O L O
Shears Akacia watched her guardian through narrowed eyes. She sat still on the floor of their shared cabin, both in the living space, both silent. Layeta hunched over a table, her fingers working tirelessly to sharpen the edge of her hunting spear. Akacia said nothing as she watched, merely waited for the older woman's attention to drift to her. As she knew it would, if Aka devoted the brunt of her intensity to glaring at the old woman.
It was a short span of minutes in which Aka tried to imagine what Layeta might say, how she might justify herself, and what Akacia might say in return. Nothing good from either party, surely.
Only when Layeta set her spear aside, straightened her posture, and took a steadying breath did she allow herself to turn and face Akacia fully. "If you have words to share, speak them. Otherwise, stop wasting your time and mine with idleness. And you will stop that glowering immediately. I am your elder and deserve your respect."
Any other day, Akacia would have agreed wholeheartedly. She'd never given her guardian mother anything but the utmost respect. Layeta was why she worshiped Aisha. Layeta was why she hated Earthlings. Layeta was why she was here. But the older woman felt almost traitorous now, and Aka could not pull her heated gaze from the other Alkidike. "I know what you have done," she hissed softly.
Layeta was not phased. "I expect you do," she retorted. "I've made no secret of it, nor would I want to. Begging a child from the goddess Elzira is nothing to be ashamed of. For my wish to be granted would be a blessing."
"It wouldn't," Aka snapped, hoping the genuine ire in her tone reached her guardian. Ire, amid a great swatch of other emotions: anxiety, anger, betrayal, hurt. She blinked and took a breath to collect herself. She'd thought about this, after all. Her words should come easy. "And you would never be allowed one, anyway. You're too old. And you live with me. Everyone knows what I think of them. The matron wouldn't permit you to raise one so long as I live under this roof."
A downward pinch appeared in the other woman's expression, the set of her jaw tensing in her own agitation. "These are petty excuses, Akacia. And they are beneath you." Aka's antenna twitched, and despite her efforts to keep her gaze on her guardian, her lashes dipped.
Layeta stood. She strode the two steps that would bring her before the younger female and dipped to sit before her. At least being on the same level put Akacia at ease. Layeta raised a hand, let her fingers trace the ridge of the blue marking across Aka's cheek. She moved in and tugged lightly on a stray bang. The sound Aka made was an undignified huff-peep of noise, and she shook her head to clear her guardian's fingers away before shooting the older woman an annoyed fluster-pout. "Ah," Layeta hummed softly. "You were very small when last I saw that expression. Calm yourself, my beautiful bloom."
Grudgingly, Aka did, shoulders dipping just a notch as she tried to relax.
"You and I both know you will not remain in this house forever. You've no desire to, and you've not been dependent on me for some years. You could leave now, if it pleased you. You are strong enough, smart enough, and old enough to decide things on your own. Would it please you to move on from here?" Layeta questioned as her fingers fell back to her own lap and away from the young woman before her.
"You know it would," Akacia responded, voice low. Her attempts to coax her gaze back to her guardian's face were a lesson in futility.
"And you know I wouldn't stop you." The comment came with a sharp nod. "Many of Aisha's children moved from her roots to seek out Earthling lands, long before we were forced to this place. I know it concerns you so, but not all who stray to far away places are lost forever. And certainly not many chose to forsake their mother. Those who did were vile scum, yes, but those who kept Aisha close in their heart came back stronger, more loyal to their sisters. Our mother has not abandoned you just because you are not at her side."
"You gave your prayers to Elzira," Aka muttered stiffly. "That is not keeping our mother 'close at heart.'"
Fingers pinched at her chin and guided Aka's gaze to meet her guardian's fully. "Elzira was born of Aisha's seed as all of your Alkidike sisters were. She is as much your sister as I am. And her offspring our family as a result. You should be proud, Akacia. Very few witness the birth of a species. And fewer still allowed to guide the first of what will be a long and prosperous line." She released her face, and Aka shook her head with a soft scoff.
"And you will do well to know that I have spoken to our matron," Layeta hummed. "She has agreed that I may raise one of the girls, if Elzira does see fit to grant me this gift. And I will not tolerate the children under my care to be at odds. This will be good for you, Akacia. One way or another, it will be good for you."
Aka's heart thudded, quick, erratic, confused as to why this woman of all people wold be permitted the care of one of the Elaria. "I will not live with one." Akacia hissed immediately in half-baked argument. "I will leave the second it breaches the entryway. I will not ever-"
"Then I suggest you have your things gathered, so you might leave at a moment's notice. You are my first child, and you will always be as such. I will love you and welcome you into my home no matter what path you take, but I wish to be part of the future, and your foolish needs will not prevent that." Her voice was stern. Unrelenting and unforgiving. And it sounded like a lost argument. Layeta rose. She collected her spear from the table and was out the door with only a gentle pat to the top of Akacia's head in farewell.
Infuriating.
She would not live with one. It would not be good for her. She was still alone. Her path seemed so hazy and uncertain and doomed to failure that leaving could not be her best option- But it was. And in this moment, she was well beyond trying to rationalize staying.
Or rationalize anything, for that matter.
Her world was changing, and it was an unpleasant change. She stood, raked her hand through her hair, and stalked toward her room. She pinched at the end of a crimped dreadlock, and twisted it between her fingers. On Chibale, they were a symbol of pride in their mother and their traditions. But she wasn't on Chibale. She was on Yael. And the Elaria were being taught to wear their hair in dreads and be proud to be born of Elzira.
She knew it was a bad idea as soon as the first thought of it was in her head. But it felt like time for something drastic, something her tribe-mates would see. The blade was in her hand before she could convince herself otherwise.
There was no method to the cutting. She couldn't see what she was doing, besides the crimped pieces of her hair that fell to the floor. She tried to keep it even and managed to nick herself in the scalp more than once. By the end of it, she knew it was hideous. She could feel how messy it was each time her fingers went over it. Immediately, she didn't like it, and as an afterthought, she didn't think Ai would like it, but it was done, and she would justify it to anyone who dared question her.x
x
Results: Akacia has almost unquestioningly followed her guardian mother since she bloomed. And it is because of the beliefs Layeta instilled in her that Aka is so against the Elaria to begin with. She has never understood the fascination and expected at the outset that her guardian would agree with her. She didn't, as is apparent here, and after several years, Layeta has decided to finally take up her role in 'the future.' Akacia is distraught by this news, and it spurs her into action that she has been saying she will follow through on for some time.
She settles in her decision to leave 'home,' though she has never considered Yael to be such a thing, anyway. It's a moving on from familiar things and a lifestyle she knows in order to escape from something she's terrified of giving in to. To show her despise toward Elzira, she cuts off her dreads (and regrets it immediately), and expects it to prove that she is ready to make her journey, even if she does so alone.
Word Count: 1337
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 9:34 am
P R P x R E F L E C T I O NTwo Angry Bugs AKACIA'S THOUGHTSResults: ???
PRP Posts: ???
JR Word Count: ???
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 4:00 pm
B A T T L E x R E F L E C T I O N[Yael] Akacia vs Naqenni ...
(N/A - NRP battle)Results: Lost the battle.
Word Count: N/A
JR Word Count: N/A
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 4:04 pm
B A T T L E x R E F L E C T I O N[Yael] Akacia vs Lenila ...
(N/A - NRP battle)Results: Lost the battle.
Word Count: N/A
JR Word Count: N/A
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 10:09 am
W O R L D x E V E N T x R E F L E C T I O NCreepy Crawlers AKACIA'S THOUGHTSResults: ???
PRP Posts: ???
JR Word Count: ???
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Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 6:44 am
B A T T L E x R E F L E C T I O N[Yael] Akacia vs Seziah ...
(N/A - NRP battle)Results: Lost the battle.
Word Count: N/A
JR Word Count: N/A
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