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 Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 8:07 pm
Kanesakht's House Many people would expect Kanesakht's house, lair of that snarky and brooding council member, to be dark. And it is, when he's not at home. When he is, whichever room he's using is lit by the warm glow of lanterns, even during the day. He keeps his windows closed, even though nobody could possibly spy into his home - it is, after all, far back in the southeastern corner of the cavern.
It is a low house with only one floor that surrounds a small garden. This garden has its own fountain and is overrun with untended vines and grasses and even small trees. Some might even call it a paradise. If Kanesakht had the time, he still wouldn't trim back the rampant growth - its rare enough to have a plant, let alone weeds to overrun them all. He cherishes the chaos.
Many of his walls are lined with shelves housing books. Books aren't uncommon outside the library, but they are rarely of the same quality. All council members possess a formidable personal library, however. Along with the books are small knick-knacks - ceremonial masks, musical instruments, and small sculptures.
Kanesakht isn't all that accepting of visitors, and never has guests. Current Apprentice :: Sekhmet
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 6:24 pm
Kanesakht eyed the little female Uluen sitting prettily before him. He sighed, looking up at Akhetnnami, who stood in the front door.
What have I gotten myself into?
"You will be expected to instruct her in culture, ritual, and magic. She will live with you until she either leaves for the outside world, or is old enough and chooses to live on her own. At that point, we will provide an apartment or something of the sort for her.
"You will also be expected to house her human caretaker if and when she decides to visit."
"And why aren't you taking care of one of the little misfits?" Kanesakht growled, crossly. "You're the maternal one."
Akhetnnami blinked, serenly. "I have much too much work."
"Well, then." He crossed his arms, turning his harsh gaze to the little kitten. "What's her name?"
"Sekhmet."
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 7:08 pm
Sekhmet looked up at the Seris that was to be her mentor. She didn't totally grasp what they were talking about because she wasn't paying that much attention, but she caught on that she was going to be living with him and he would be teaching her.
And he seemed to be as happy as she was about it.
She flicked an ear and looked down at her paws. Why her? Why did she have to be stuck with him? He obviously didn't want to take her under his wing and she could care less. She heard her name and looked up. He was giving her a glare that would kill if looks could. She decided to match him stare for stare. In fact, she thought it'd be better to add to it.
Sekhmet's eyes narrowed at him and she let out an almost inaudiable hiss.
"M'not a misfit..." she muttered under her breath.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 7:50 pm
"Yes, you are," he replied, levely. "You were abandoned by your parents. Lovely, isn't it?" His eyes flicked back up to Akhetnnami. "You've done your job, Akhet. Now please, leave me be. I'm getting a headache, and I'd prefer that only one person is here to grate on my nerves."
Akhetnnami frowned, biting her lip. "Fine. Just take care of her."
"Because somebody didn't want the responsibility and didn't take the girl herself," Kanesakht shot back, but Akhetnnami was already out the door.
"Hmph." He looked back down at Sekhmet. "You. Come with me, now." Kanesakht turned and led the way down the hall to the right, picking up a lantern from a low table as he went, lighting the way.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 7:59 pm
"Am not," Sekhmet retorted in the same muttered tone. She had half a mind to yell it at him and ignore his command completely, but she thought better of it and slowly followed him.
"My mommy did not aba... She didn' leave me. She jus' had me stay here so I could be smart," she kept on mumbling as they walked.
"I don' like you," she spoke her feelings bluntly. "And I don' care that you don' like me. But I'm here, so we both havta deal with it," she added and then shut her mouth in a tight frown.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 8:25 pm
Kanesakht stopped and rounded on her, dropping to one knee and grabbing her by the scruff of her neck. "I mean your real mother. Not the human who will send you loving letters and trinkets from the outside world that could give a damn about our future. Your real mother was too dim-witted to find a job, or else she could have provided for you and you wouldn't have been found a caretaker or offered this apprenticeship.
"Akhetnnami said you showed some promise. That won't be enough if you want to stay here, though. You're right, I don't like you. You're probably going to hate me before we're through. And you're right, we both have to deal with it. But however much you hate me, you follow my rules in this house. I tell you to jump, you ask how high.
"Your training begins tomorrow. You can go to sleep now, or you can ask questions about your coming life. Your choice."
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 8:38 pm
Sekhmet cried out when he grabbed her, then began to try and bite him.
"I don' care about her! She's not my mama now so she doesn' matter. If she didn' want me then that's her stupid fault. Mommy wanted me, so she's as good as a real mama," she argued over the mother portion of his short lecture.
"An' I'll follow your stupid rules, when you tell me 'em, only cause I'm s'posed to," she added in a softer, though no less vehement, tone.
"Now leggo o' me," she hissed out, struggling again, her ears pressed flat against her skull.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 8:44 pm
"Rule one: Cut the crap. You can't back up your attitude, little girl. You're still teething, for crying out loud!" He shook his head, releasing her and standing. "Rule two: You are not to go into the other side of the house without my permission. If I find that you've been there, you will be punished, and it will not be pleasant. I don't have any qualms about smacking some sense into my pupils.
"Rule three: You do not go into the garden without permission. Rule four: You do not leave the house without permission. Rule five: Whatever I ask you to do, you do. You give me lip, and I won't be as nice as I have been."
He led her down the hallway, opening a door and pointing. "Your room." It was... not that bad, actually. Sparsely decorated, and with only a stiff basket for a bed, but it was clean and nicely warm, with plenty of drinking water and food.
"I'm in a bad mood. When I'm in a bad mood, it would be in your best interest either to not bother me at all, or to keep it to a respectful minimum. In this case... leave me be."
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 8:57 pm
Sekhmet finally gave in. Her anger burned out faster than a short fuse and she had to admit, he had a point. She didn't stand a chance against him, or anyone for that matter. That fact made her mad all over again. But she wasn't mad at him, no she was mad at herself for being a weak little child.
She nodded as he listed off the other rules and believed him when he said he would hit her. She peeked into her room and then looked up, waiting to see if he had any more rules. When he didn't continue, she nodded.
"Yes, sir. I'll amember your rules," she said, her tone now resigned. "An' I'll try to behave," she added as she padded over to the basket and hopped into it. Her head poked up over the rim.
"Anything else I need ta know?" she asked, her eyes half closed.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 9:03 pm
"Know that I'm not angry at you - much. It's the fault of that woman who brought you here. She wormed her way out of caring for you, or somebody like you, simply because she didn't want to. Invested in our peoples' future my a**," he muttered, turning away from the door.
"Hope you're not afraid of the dark," he commented, then disappeared down the hall, taking the only source of light with him.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 9:19 pm
"No' afraid of anything," Sekhmet whispered her lie as the light faded away from her sight. She curled up and shivered. It was true, she wasn't afraid of the dark. But she hated being alone. That was odd, because she despised being with a lot of people, but being alone, completely alone... That was ten times worse.
Her tail curled around and rested on her nose as she closed her eyes.
Pretend you're sleeping in Mommy's lap, she thought to herself and the room didn't seem so cold anymore. She fell asleep imagining what Mommy looked like and what Kanesakht would have in store for her tomorrow.
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 2:58 pm
Early the next morning, before Sekhmet was even awake, Kanesakht snuck into her room without a sound, masking his breathing and footsteps with a small, practiced illusion. He deposited a bowl of broth, not too thin or too thick, along with a bowl of water by her basket.
Then he snuck out again, returning to a guest he had waiting in the main sitting room, where he settled once more in a hushed, whispered conversation.
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:45 pm
Sekhmet rolled over onto her back and her eyes blinked open. Her gaze was a little fuzzy from sleep, so she picked a spot on the ceiling to stare at until her eyes woke up as well. She rolled back over to her side and stood up with a yawn and a stretch.
She peeked over the edge of the basket and saw the two bowls left beside it. No doubt Kanesakht had come in and left them there for her. She didn't like to be taken care of, it made her feel weak, but she hopped out of the basket and tried to broth anyways. It was pretty good and filling, too, so she lapped up most of it, taking drinks of the water as well.
Once she was finished, she sat down to think. She wasn't sure whether she should go looking for her mentor or let him fetch her when he was ready for her. She went over his rules in her head and realized he hadn't mentioned how they were to start the day. With an annoyed sigh she weighed the outcomes of waiting for him verses leaving her room.
On the one hand, if she left the room he might get mad at her. But she didn't want to look spoiled or lazy by waiting for him to fetch her. She sat next to her basket, one paw in her mouth, pondering over which was the best course of action.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 10:30 pm
In the garden in the center of the house, Kanesakht stood with his arms crossed, weight resting on his right hip.
"Are you sure you want to do this particular bonding ritual?" Hanukhemetu, who sat a short distance away, legs crossed, asked. "It might not be the smartest course of action, my friend."
"I know. Perhaps it is not. But I need to see.... the future, I suppose. And if I deem this girl unworthy, well... Akhetnnami can take her, or something like that." He snorted, rolling his eyes. "Or perhaps you and Nari could - you seem to be starting up quite the family! What is it, two apprentices now? In under a week? My god, man..."
"Rhiket was in need of our assistance, and I agreed to Aubri's proposal - I could turn neither away. And they are very well behaved, and the girl, Magdalene, seems to care for her "brother" very much. It is not as much work as you might suppose."
"Still..." He shrugged.
"Where is your apprentice?" Hanu asked, picking up his cup and sipping. "It's much past dawn."
"I'm letting her sleep. She'll need it - we'll be out all day."
"Aaaah... introducing her, then?"
Kanesakht unfolded his arms, pacing a little. "Yes. And you - when do you plan to do that for your cute little Uluen?"
"As soon as Rhiket is well enough to leave the house, I suppose."
"Mm... Good luck with that, then."
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 4:48 pm
When she finally got tired of waiting, plus she figured it be better just to go in search of her mentor than sitting around wasting the day away, Sekhmet got up and padded out of her door. She stopped in the hall and looked in either direction.
"Now... I'm no' supposed to go into the garden or the other side of the house, darned if I know why," she mused in an annoyed tone. Knowing that if she continued in the one direction long enough she'd reach the forbidden side of the house, she went the other way. She was heading in the general direction of the garden, but she would avoid that, too.
"Don' wanna get beat until I can fight back," she growled under her breath, slowly getting angry at herself again. She didn't want to be angry, so she tried to focus her attention on the stuff Kanesakht had decorating his walls.
She paused in her search to admire one of the instruments. She'd never seen one before and wondered how one played it. It was hanging next to a mask that also caught her attention. It looked like it was glaring at her and she glared right back as she studied it. It was dark and angry-looking, just like Kanesakht. But it was just a mask. And Kanesakht was just cranky, just as she was all bluster. She sighed and sat down before the mask.
"You're jus' like me, aren'cha? All angry-looking an' tryin' to be tough but it won' work cause I'm no' 'fraid of you. Bet if I wore a mask like you I'd be really scary an' everyone'd jus' leave me alone. That'd be nice. Is it okay to be 'fraid? D'you think my mommy is 'fraid of anything? I betcha she isn't, cause she does lots of dangerous stuff," which she didn't actually know was true.
"I wonder if Kanesakht is. He's real mean and cranky. But he's jus' like you, right? All mean and scary on the outside," she talked to the mask, answering some of her own questions as she went. It made her feel not so angry with herself or anyone else, talking to the mask. She sat there, in the hall, staring up at it with her tail curled around the front of her legs.
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