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 Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 6:55 am
Concerned, Xerris had coaxed and cajoled endlessly until her older brother had finally cracked under the pressure and told her. Now, she wished he hadn't..
Apparently, their mother had come to him recently complaining of a headache and a strange buzzing in her ears but Dahak had been unable to find the source. He explained how he'd told Undine it was probably just stress and she should get some rest but, without having to be told, Xerris had already reached the same conclusion he had; Unexplained headaches, ringing ears.. Could their mother be slipping into madness?
Distressed by the possibility, Xerris had stayed to try and speak with Dahak about happier things but the attempts at further conversation failed and Xerris had finally left him.
Now she simply wandered, her blue eyes losing their focus while she plodded along over the rough reddish-hued terrain, her thoughts focused inward. Could it be true? Was Undine going mad? And if it was, could anything be done for her? Xerris didn't think so. As far as she knew, no one had found a cure for madness because they didn't know how it happened in the first place.
She eventually tired of her circular musings and came to a halt then looked up and let out a frustrated shout of "Drek!", wincing a little when the sound carried and bounced back to her off of the mountains. Jala, she hoped no one had heard that..
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Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 4:37 am
Humming tunelessly to herself, the stripe-rumped mare carefully trotted on up the sloping path she had been following for the last few minutes; she wasn’t entirely sure but it looked as though it might be a path that was filled with water on a semi-regular basis, during anual floods perhaps.
“Drek!”
The sudden voice caught Sekhmet by surprise and extracted a snort of surprise from her. A moment later, however, her ears were swiveling about to discern where it had come from. With the echoes it was hard to tell, but she thought it had come from her left. Deciding that investigating the cusser might be interesting, she turned her hooves in that direction and set off over the far less smooth terrain ahead.
It wasn’t very long before she spotted the possible owner of the voice she had heard; a mare of rich blue coat with a red-tipped mane was before her. Pausing where she was, the predominately black Jala whinnied to announce herself. “Greetings Jala,” she said with a brief bob of her head. Not knowing quite what else to add, she left it at that and offered the other mare a smile.
Maybe if she had been the one swearing she’d appreciate some company to take her mind off whatever was pissing her off. Alternatively, perhaps she just wanted to be left alone. Oh well, if it was the latter she could always move on and find somebody else to talk to.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 6:41 pm
Damn, just when she'd thought her little outburst had gone unnoticed. But then again, this wasn't particularly surprising. Xerris had always had poor luck.
Sighing a little, Xerris turned to face the newcomer and studied her curiously. A Jala mare, but a non-herd member. Intriguing. Shaking the hair from her eyes to better see the striped mare, Xerris offered a polite but slightly forced smile.
"Greetings Jala. What business do you have in Fyhi tel Oren, outsider?" she asked kindly but still in a fashion that made clear she was talking to an inferior being. "And may I ask your name? I'd rather not keep calling you 'outsider' over and over. It will get too repetitive."
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 5:00 am
The striped mare gave the other Jala a grin and nodded her head to indicate that she intended to answer all questions asked. “I’m just here visiting right now by leave of Heiress Yi. I’m hoping that once I know the place and all your traditions a bit better I might be permitted to join; I left my old herd when I was just a filly and, well, it’s got to be a bit lonely, you know? Oh, and my name’s Sekhmet; mind if I ask yours?”
Was this blue mare a potential friend? She hoped so; though she’d got on alright with most of the people she’d met, she hadn’t really connected with any of them. She had already been here a couple of days, so really getting along well with somebody would be welcome, would help her decide if she really did want to join or not.
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Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 6:59 am
Xerris was impressed. Obviously, this Sekhmet was aware of her inferior status and knew her place. And if Sekhmet had Heiress Yi's permission to explore Fyhi tel Oren, then Xerris judged this outsider to be worthwhile by Katilenuck standards.
"My name is Xerris," she introduced herself simply, leaving out her lineage. At this point, it didn't matter. And, even if it were crucial information, Xerris would still keep it to herself, determined as she was to make her own name.
"Pleasure to meet you, Sekhmet."
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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 7:18 am
Sekhmet smiled again and bobbed her head in acknowledgement of the other mare’s name. “Xerris,” she repeated to fix it in her mind, “I’m glad to meet you too... Umm, look, if it’s not too personal a question for me to be asking right away, is something the matter? I thought I heard you curse...” If it was too personal, the blue mare would tell her to back off and no harm done. If it wasn’t too personal, then perhaps she could offer her help somehow and, in doing to, secure Xerris as at least a friendly acquaintance, possibly even a friend and that had to be a good thing.
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:27 am
Xerris winced inwardly but maintained a friendly expression on the outside. This Sekhmet was not a bad sort. But Xerris' family troubles weren't something to be shared. Especially given her mother's standing and how the possibility of her being mad could effect many nequus. Still, she felt compelled to give the striped mare an answer.
"Well, I'm not particularly comfortable talking about it.. But I'll go ahead and tell you that someone in my family is..is very sick and let's leave it at that. Your concern is touching, though, and I thank you."
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:49 pm
Sekhmet winced slightly and nodded. “Yea, I understand not wanting to talk about it; hope they get better soon though.” How was her family doing, she wondered? It had been a while since she’d left now; quite a long while. She’d been on the verge of adolescence then and now she was again, only the other side. How tall had her siblings grown? Had they taken on her father’s light sleek build as she had, or were they strong and tough like their mother?
This place, Sekhmet decided, would have to do; she had to find a way to get into the herd, and then a way to make herself even more unsuitable for mating off. She wanted her freedom, needed it, but she needed to go back and visit her family soon too. Surely she could find a way to set herself up as someone that could never be considered a good playing piece. She had gathered that she couldn’t be a soldier, but perhaps she could become a tactician or something? She was a resourceful young mare, she’d think of something; she had to.
Eventually, the black-winged Jala became aware that she’d zoned out somewhat, and so she shook herself and shot Xerris an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that, drifted right off into dreamworld there... So what is it you do? I’m still trying to get to know this place, like I say and so far all I really know about what mares can do is that we can be tacticians and can’t be soldiers but I’m guessing there are other positions too?”
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 8:31 am
The blue-brindle mare murmured another soft thank you then fell into pensive silence, almost, but not quite, looking right through Sekhmet. Her mind was elsewhere...
Brought back to the present by Sekhmet's apology, Xerris shook her head, sending her red-tipped forelock into her eyes. Huffing an impatient sigh, Xerris tipped her head and blew a breath upwards out of the side of her mouth, directing the puff of air at her errant mane. That settled, she cast a light smile at the striped jala.
"There are a few," Xerris admitted, bobbing her head. "I'm a doctor, myself. I treat what I can; my older brother, Shaman Dahak, sees to the difficult cases." She didn't falter a bit over that last. She still longed for the magic but she had grown accustomed to her position.
"Some choose to be teachers," she continued. "Most are simply classified as citizens and have no particular duties assigned them. My father is the Royal Advisor to the Queen; my mother is a tactician, she has a brilliant mind." There Xerris choked a little; at this point she was worrying that her mother's mind might no longer be intact.
"That leaves slave trader--though it's a competitive market--, soldier and, of course, the royal positions," she recovered smoothly.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 9:42 am
It was probably kinder not to say anything about the slight catch in Xerris’ words, and so Sekhmet just smiled and nodded in acknowledgement of the information she’d been given. “I couldn’t see myself being any kind of trader,” she said with a shake of her head, “but maybe, if I am found worthy of joining, I could be a tactician or a doctor... or just a citizen I guess. I mean, not everyone needs to take on a specific role I guess.” That there were as many as there were was alien to her in actual fact; back home there was the herdleader, his advisor and a few border guards. Perhaps keeping out of the proper jobs was a better idea; she’d have more freedom that way without a doubt.
“Must be quite something to be related to the royal advisor though,” Sekhmet went on after a moment. “I’ve heard a bit about him already... Xla’Lanan?” What she’d heard hadn’t always been complimentary, but she’d only heard negative opinions when people had been talking to friends, unaware of her. Speaking ill of him, or anyone important, probably wasn’t a bright idea; expressing dislike of important types anywhere in the world was pretty damn stupid and this herd seemed more formal than most. Still, if she kept her head down she’d get along fine, she was sure.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 9:57 am
"Oh, it's something," Xerris replied airily. Truthfully, she hadn't had many dealings with her father. He was a bit...overbearing. But that wasn't information this outsider needed to know.
"I don't much care for politics. Nor do I have a head for strategy. I much prefer tending the sick or injured. It's frustrating sometimes but, overall, quite rewarding," she explained, watching Sekhmet's face. The black mare was inquisitive and, for a lower being, easy enough to talk freely with.
"In any case, if you're accepted, you can do what you wish. If you decide to follow the same path I've chosen, you might speak to my older brother. He taught me nearly everything I know about doctoring."
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 10:07 am
Sekhmet smiled and offered another nod. “Thanks, I might take you up on that; I’ll find a place to fit myself in I’m sure. If I can be useful in some way other than just being a standard herd member that might be nice. I’m just not sure yet to be honest; my life’s been changing pretty fast lately, but I’m certainly sure I want to join this herd.” It was perfect for her purposes.
Her plans made her feel a little devious, sure, but the people seemed pretty nice on the whole and the ones who weren’t she could just avoid. She couldn’t afford to get turned down, so the more she found out about the workings of this place the better; she gathered there was a kind of a test you had to pass to get accepted. Nobody seemed willing to tell her what it was, so she was just going to assume it was knowledge based rather than a duel-to-the-death with a captured Reya or something.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 10:32 am
Xerris lifted a delicate brow. She could tell there was some sort of ulterior motive but, as far as she was concerned, one's reasons for doing something were always one's own and Sekhmet could keep her secrets.
Still, being a healer, she could read facial expressions quite easily and the expression on Sekhmet's face was telltale.
"If you're worried about getting accepted into the herd, don't be. I'm not sure exactly how it works; I've never been privy to anything like that. But it's more likely going to be an interview of some sort rather than some great feat or trial. You might ask Shaman Dahak about that as well. He has more dealings with Court than I."
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 10:49 am
The striped mare nodded again; she felt like she was doing this quite a lot of late. “Thanks, I was thinking it was probably something like that. I mean, I don’t need to be good at fighting or anything practical to be a good Katilenuck or anything like that so I couldn’t see it being a physical thing.” Unless these guys were even crazier than popular belief would have her think. Well, even if they were, they were perfect. She was going to fit right in here, one way or another, she’d make sure of it.
“Umm, well it’s been really good to talk to you,” Sekhmet said after a moment, “but I could do with finding myself something to eat and drink. I hope to see you again sometime soon, maybe as a full member of the herd, hu?” She hoped so. She really hoped so. This had to work. She had to see her family again. It had been too long.
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Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:19 am
"Well, I'm sure physical prowess is necessary for those who wish to be soldiers but that's a whole different rite and, since we've established that you cannot be a soldier, I think you're safe on that front," Xerris assured her, smiling affably. It was obvious Sekhmet might think Katilenuck ways to be barbaric or even demented, but she would soon learn that the mighty Katilenuck were probably the most clear-thinking of all nequus...
"Oh, alright then. It was my pleasure to speak with you. And mayhap the next time I see you, you will be a full herd member," she said, dipping her head marginally. She liked to be respectable to everyone, even those of lower caste.
"Over that way," she added with a tilt of her head, "you'll find good grazing. It'll also start you on your way to my brother's herb patch. Good luck, Sekhmet."
Smiling once more, she turned and walked the opposite direction. She'd spent too much time dallying; concerns for her mother would have to be put aside. A doctor's work was never finished.
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