[SRP] Gifty (Brenning & Lyti & Txuratan)

[Princess_Feylin]

Lyti

Another visit from her betrothed. Lyti was becoming good at putting Brenning at ease, managing it more and more quickly each time she saw him. He was never totally relaxed around her, which was kind of endearing and flattering, but she took it as a testament to her own skill that she was able to help him be at ease. This time was a first though. She was actually looking forward to his visit. He had sought her out earlier to ask if he could see her later and bring her something. A gift.

So now Lyti waited as patiently as she could for her betrothed to arrive with the gift he had promised her. She hoped it was something excellent, something she could boast to Naaja about. She and the warlord's daughter were friends, but Lyti still wanted to show her friend up from time to time. Her betrothal had been one way to do it, even though Brenning was not the dashing captain she had dreamed of, since she had been betrothed first,but since then she had been drawing a blank.

Bren

"Come along," Bren urged his thrall.

The bright blue lion was somewhat newly taken, and ordinarily that would mean he was unfit as a gift for a gentle lioness like Lyti, in case he was insufficiently broken, but Bren had watched him very carefully. He had even spoken to him, and while he was difficult to understand, he seemed like a basically peaceful thrall.

He spoke the whole way, reminding the thrall with the unpronounceable name of how he must behave and what dire consequences he faced if he put Lyti in the slightest danger, or failed to obey her as perfectly as he was able. Bren had already made these points very clear in the past, but he could not help enumerating them over again and elaborating. It was so very important to him that Lyti be pleased with this gift.

At last they arrived and he fell silent. Then he called out, "Lyti?"

Txur

Txur was still continually startled by the strangeness of the land he had been brought to. The cold was wretched, but the dampness was almost reminiscent of the jungle's humidity. Except for the wretched cold. Sometimes he found his attention stolen by a lion wearing furs that looked wonderfully warm. Perhaps he would be able to acquire one of those somehow. Maybe several.

"I will do my best," he assured the red lion.

His master was so young and earnest, reminding Txur some of himself as a young lion, when he and Petra had first fallen in love. He could recognize that devotion, and for that alone he would do his best to help him impress this girl he loved. Txur's own life with the Na'vi was over, but he was not dead, and while he lived he would serve life. This was a way he could do that.

He did hope that the lioness was as good and gentle as Bren claimed, however.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Lyti

"I'm here, Brenning," she replied. It was s struggle to suppress her curiosity and remain inside when she wanted so very much to peek out and see the present he had brought for her. "Do come in."

Thanks to small gaps in the ceiling of the den there was still enough light within for Lyti to see when Brenning's rather massive bulk filled the entrance and effectively blocked all illumination from that direction. He was just a silhouette to her, but for the glow of his eyes, which reminded her of the marking over his one eye, like fire. When she first met him, she had wondered if there was something special about that eye, and if the fiery pattern was there as a warning, but now she knew better. It was just the way his fur was colored.

"I have been looking forward to seeing you. You were so mysterious earlier when you arranged this visit. Please make yourself comfortable. Oh!" At last she noticed the second figure behind Bren. "Who is this?"

Bren

"Thank you, Lyti. I won't stay too long, because I'm sure you are busy, but I am glad to hear that you have been looking forward to this visit. So have I." This visit, and other things.

Brenning moved into the den, aware of the thrall behind him, following him as he was bid. Bren did not much care for this den, but he would not have to visit Lyti here for very much longer. Once they were wed she would move into his more spacious den. Married reavers had larger dens than married freeborn, and far more privacy than unmarried reavers, who often slept in a great communal den. He looked forward to that day.

"Come forward, Ta-uhr," he bid the thrall, doing his best to pronounce his foreign name. "This lioness is Lyti. She will be your mistress and you are to obey her completely."

He had already covered these points with the thrall, but it was important to him that Lyti see him issuing these commands, and see the thrall accepting them. He wished Lyti had come outside. He would have liked to see her expression when she saw her gift. It was too dark for him to properly appreciate it.

Txur

Txur followed obediently and stepped forward at Brenning's urging. Of course the younger lion had mangled his name, but Txur was somewhat used to that. Lions who had not grown up among the Na'vi tended to have difficulty pronouncing the over-aspirated T and P sounds their language utilized.

"Mistress," he said softly. It was unusual for him to wrap his mouth around that word. There really was no equivalent in the Na'vi language or mindset. "I will do as you say, to the best of my ability."

He had been instructed to abase himself, and he did so, although in this dark place he didn't see where it made much of a difference. There were many things he did not understand about this pride and Brenning had not seen fit to explain them to him. He would learn. Perhaps he would even learn to commune with Mother Eywa again in this strange place. Nature was powerful and primal here. The connection must be the same.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Lyti

"Stormlords, Brenning!" Lyti gasped. "I had no idea you meant to bring me a gift like this."

A thrall. A reall thrall all of her own, brought to her by the lion she would marry. That was a worthy gift. She was pleased, but also speechless. She was, in truth, flabbergasted. Bren was sweet and devoted, but she had not expected him to be capable of something of this magnitude.

"You may stand," she said to the thrall. "Let's all step outside. I would like to take a better look at this present of mine."

It was dark enough to hide her delighted expression, and she was glad. She would have to compose herself before they got outside though. It was unladylike to show too much pleasure in a moment like this. Her mother had taught her that. Never make a scene unless it is a matter of life or death.

Bren

"So...you like him?" Bren asked, eager for reassurance that he had done the right thing in bringing her this thrall.

He moved toward the sunlight as he spoke, cursing himself for sounding so young and weak, but he needed to hear that she liked the thrall. He had been so excited to give her this gift, and she seemed to be taking it in stride, as if it was every day something like this happened. From what he knew of her family, they didn't keep personal thralls at all. Maybe there was some sort of philosophical reason for that, and he had actually displeased her.

"He pleases you?" he asked again as they stepped into sunlight once more. "Really?"

Txur

Since no one could see his face, Txur allowed himself to cringe sympathetically at his former master's earnest queries regarding how pleased his betrothed was with him. Txur had loved like that, once, but time had altered his relationship until it was easier to define his marriage by what it lacked than by what it had. He would never have left the Na'vi if that had not been the case. As it was, he was pretty sure Petra hadn't even noticed his absence.

The idea of being property was still alien to Txur, but as a priest in the Na'vi he could understand the idea that his life was not just his own. He lived for the good of the pride, and his family, and the earth. So this was, in a way, like saying that he now lived for his new mistress. Sort of. He'd work on trying to adapt his worldview, but that was no easy task.

Txur was the first to step into the open air, and he did so just as a gust of wind blew off the water, freezing him in his tracks momentarily. Mother Eywa, but it was cold here. He hoped that the climate would grow more mild in the coming months. As he stood in the cold, trying not to shiver, he became aware of his mistress studying him, which was not a comfortable feeling.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Lyti

Lyti turned her attention to the thrall and looked him over more carefully. He was thin-furred and older, but otherwise he seemed fit and there wasn't any obvious indication that he was mentally deficient. He also seemed obedient, though she wasn't sure would trust that until Bren left. The good behavior might be the result of intimidation, though it was not easy to see Bren as intimidating.

"He's a fine thrall. Thank you," she assured Bren, failing to pick up on how important it was to her betrothed that she be impressed with his gift. "I am glad to have him."

She turned her attention back to the thrall and said, "I didn't catch your name before. What is it?"

Bren

Not the focus of Lyti's attention, Bren flinched at her indifference. He supposed he would have to come up with something bigger to impress her. He had honestly thought she would be delighted to have a thrall captured just for her. The poor reaver felt rather crestfallen. How could he have been so wrong?

"Ah..." he began to advise her against asking the thrall for his name. It was unpronounceable, truly. "You might want to just give him a new name. His is pretty awful. He's very docile. I have no doubt he'll answer to whatever name you give him."

Maybe he shouldn't have said the thrall was docile. Would that make him seem less impressive for having caught him? Eh, what did it matter? She wasn't impressed anyway. This whole thing had been stupid.

Txur

As he had been instructed, Txur did not attempt to make eye contact with his mistress, even though it went against his instincts to avoid eye contact. He had always been a forthright lion, comfortable with people and familiar actions like eye contact or casual touching. This was a new place with new rules though, and he knew he must abide by the new rules.

The idea of being renamed was more alarming to him than being a thrall, almost. His name had meaning. Though it was true it was not easy for a lion outside the Na'vi to pronounce. Perhaps he could learn to answer to the second half of his name, rather than the first. His sister's nickname was Atan, short for Atan'tsyel, but at least it would be a Na'vi name still. He wondered why he cared.

"My name is Txuratan, mistress," he said, pronouncing it carefully and dreading the mangling he knew it would receive when she tried to repeat it.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Lyti

Lyti shot Bren a look when he suggested changing the thrall's name. There were lions who said her father's name was unpronounceable. She didn't see what was so difficult about Sakhr, herself, but it was apparently strange to the Stormborn. She was willing to at least give the thrall a chance before she considered changing his name.

And then she heard his name. She knew right away that she would have difficulty with that first noise. How did he even do that? The rest of it wasn't so difficult. For the time being she would ignore that first aspirated T and treat it as if it was a normal T, which would make it..."Turatan? I'll work on it. I like how exotic it sounds."

She smiled at the thrall and then turned to smile at Bren, too, but he wasn't looking at her. He looked like he had somewhere else to be. Maybe he did. When they were married she would insist on knowing his schedule. Not in a controlling way. Just so that she would know approximately when he would and would not be around and she wouldn't have to wonder if she was messing with his schedule or something.

Bren

"You did better than I did with that name," he said encouragingly, but Lyti wasn't looking at him. She was smiling at the thrall.

Lyti was partially right. Bren didn't have somewhere else that he had to be, but he could think of about a million other places he would rather be. The way this thrall gift had failed to work out made him want to just go home and be alone in the dark for a while. He could be doing that right now, actually.

"Let me know if you have any trouble with him," he mumbled. "I've got to...things...excuse me."

Then he began walking purposefully in a direction best described as "away."

Txur

Txur smiled encouragingly without raising his gaze. It wasn't quite his name, but it was close, and it sounded like he would not be renamed. That was good. A soft, relieved sigh escaped his lungs.

Even without looking he could sense when he was no longer the focus of Lyti's attention. He could hear the defeat in Bren's voice and wished he could reassure the lion that things would be all right, but he couldn't. Not now. Maybe he could find a way to hint to his mistress that more effusive praise would help her betrothed. She seemed like a decent enough lioness.

As he was thinking these things his mistress instructed him to follow her back into the den and began to instruct him on his duties. He would adapt and survive.