Where? It's along the outskirts of Tukyere. The outside is very dusty and pretty dank-looking, and it actually is a mile or two to *really* get into the heart of the town. Rem (the owner/Naar's uncle) doesn't actually even live on the premises, but instead in the residential area a few streets away. the whorehouse itself is an unremarkable stone building, very square. I doubt Malta could actually *fit* inside. Which is fine, since Naar will tell her to fly over head and meet him in the courtyard, anyway. Which is a much more inviting splodge of green and flowers, with a few trees dotting the scape and a pool/bath in teh middle of it, with stones surrounding it.
Malta flew overhead, following the dark green moving person through the outskirts of Tukyere. She hoped it wouldn't be far – Malta was not a long distance flyer by any means and already her wings were tiring. She knew what Siksyl'gra would have to say about this and she sighed. He would be right. She needed to practice her flying more, especially if she was going to go back to her mountainous home.
She saw him disappear into a building and she circled around for a landing in the splotch of green that was the courtyard – an inviting oasis in the dry, cruel desert. She had been travelling for so long that the not-particularly-lush 'garden' behind the whorehouse was nearly a paradise and, as she managed a not-destructive landing for once, she let out a pleased hum.
Dinner and vegetation. Naar was truly generous. She settled in on her brisket and, after some thought, undid the straps holding her pack on with a few nudgings and nibbles of her snout. They clattered to the stones and she shook herself, relieved. There was something about offloading a pack that was just so... wonderful. A burden, lifted for that one moment.
But, of course, she would not truly set down her burden until she reached home, that hazy place, half remembered, where she would be appreciated and loved.
Still, it was nice to have her back free. She began to preen, scraping at her scales to remove the damaged and dirty ones. Since she was invited to dinner, she should – after all – be presentable...
Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 9:15 am
DraconicFeline
Dark strands of red pooled against the stones at the water's edge as Hadelric tipped his head back to rest against the periphery of the bath planted right amidst the greenery. The morning was quiet (as the early part of the day tended to be), leaving the Oblivionite whore to fester alone in silence, enjoying the peace of being surrounded by flowers and fronds and the lingering scent of smoke from his cigarette. He closed his eyes with a sigh, tapping his fingers against the rock to some imagined beat.
When a shadow fell across him, his lids cracked open, peering briefly at the creature flying overhead. Until suddenly, it wasn't. Down it descended, and as it drew near, Elric sat up, staring at it curiously until the ground rumbled beneath its claws as it landed.
"Uh..." A khehora. Green. Ysali maybe? Attracted by the tiny splodge of greenery amidst the desert that was Tukyere? It... shouldn't really be here, but as long as it didn't do any damage (unlikely, considering the awkward landing - of all creatures, khehora should be pretty adept at flight, right?), maybe it could visit for a moment or two. Though as it dropped its pack and started littering the grass with its molting scales, Elric doubted 'a moment or two' would be the case.
"Excuse me, O Flighty One," Elric drawled as he tilted his head toward the creature. "I can't help but notice that you seem quite intent on making yourself at home, and while I usually wouldn't have a problem with complete strangers doing so, I find most of them prefer to enter through the front door and pick up a friend along the way. So, forgive my rudeness, but why, precisely are you here...?"
Malta couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of wariness as the very clearly adult Oblivionite spoke to her. She paused in her preening, watching him for a sign of threat. But of course he was no threat, was he? What he had said was odd enough, but Magescians were odd in general so that wasn't what made her uneasy.
What did make her uneasy was his confidence, as if he had some power hidden behind his smooth face, and the fact that he did not seem to be expecting her. Her headfins flicked back, once. “Oh, excuse me” she babbled, turning from her preening to move a little closer to her things, “Have I... Am I in the wrong place? Naarhiji's directions were clear, at least I thought they were but...” she watched him. He definitely wasn't expecting her. “Is there... another garden? Perhaps nearby?”
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 5:43 pm
DraconicFeline
Elric tapped his fingers against the stone, scrutinizing the foreign Ysali khehora through narrowed slits. She had the pudgy build of some unpopular youngling that ate away all her troubles and then proceeded to garner even less respect as she aged. The poor dear was probably lost and desperate. He snuffed his smoke against the rocks, then flicked the remains away with a twitch of his fingers. "Sweet beauty, of course you are more than welcome in my garden. You merely caught me off guard by your entrance, and I..."
He trailed off with obvious suspicion, tipping his head back and managing to look larger, despite his lowered position in the pool. The muscles in his jaw bunched and his lips thinned as he sent an unamused look in the khehora's direction. "Now, there's no need to tell lies, missy," he quipped at the sound of his cohort's name. Naarhiji was a shallow, loveless, coward who was unlikely to invite anything that wasn't decidedly two-legged, black-skinned, and full of ungodly Oblivionite innocence anywhere, let alone into his home. "I'm not quite sure where you picked up that name, but I find that I don't quite fancy you using it to weave these nonsensical stories. Perhaps you really should be on your way, before things turn... tense."
"Elric!"
The older male's head whipped around, sending up a spray of water spinning from his long mahogany locks. "Naarhiji, dove," he cooed as his gaze landed on the smaller boy. "Please just go back inside, and I will handle whatever you've gotten yourself into, hm?" Elric suggested in what was probably the most demanding tone in existence, while still sustaining a pleasant smile on his lips.
Naar bristled, his lip jutting out and his shoulders bunching and the tips of his ears flaming in embarrassment that went blissfully unseen. He strode toward the two, footfalls heavy with annoyance and a barely-leashed temper. "How could you speak to my friend like that?! Malta hasn't done anything wrong!"
There was a brief flutter of confusion across Hadelric's face. He opened his mouth, closed it again, and when he did finally formulate words, he said, "If you're pretending to defend her out of concern for my safety against a khehora, I promise I-"
The disgust Naar felt was outlined perfectly in every single curve of his body. "Why would I care about your safety?"
The sudden switch – from genial to friendly to outright hostile was too much for Malta. She hastily began to re gather her things, cringing away from Elric's cold, Oblivionite gaze. Whether she was lying or not, she felt distinctly unwelcome.
It was odd. After being trained for battle, fighting the elder of the Shadow Maw tribe, and travelling across two continents towards home, Malta was certainly a lot more courageous as a person. But, of all the things she feared, it was magescians she feared the most. They were powerful monsters that could bend a khehora to their will, and even though she had made a few friends among the magescians and was comfortable with Oblivionites, she never completely forgot that they – even they – had that power.
This man certainly did. She could feel it in the air around him.
“S-sorry!” she babbled, “I'm very sorry... very sorry to have bothered you...” she backed away with her things, noting the scales that now dotted the pavement. Oh no... what should she do about those? She swept them away with her paws, trying to get them all into the plants, sending a little magic to have them grow, break down, and take in the nutrients of her discarded scales. There. Gone. No trace to dirty up their garden. Was that why they were upset? No. It was because she had said something else. It didn't matter. She was going – she wouldn't get hurt if she left! “See? I've cleaned up. I'm very sorry... I'll just...” she backed up further, “I'll just be going...” she cringed, “I'm sorry!”
She had just gotten her packs secure and was about to hastily take off when Naarhiji appeared. She hesitated, confused – so she had gotten the right place, so this was where Naarhiji had invited her to come... and yet she didn't feel very invited. “I'm sorry, Naarhiji...” she babbled, as the encounter between him and the other Oblivionite grew charged, as if with the blazing magic of the Kiandri. “I... Maybe we can do dinner some other time, I mean...” she backed away another step for good measure. Her friend was defending her, and that meant the other man would attack him. Malta didn't want that. “I don't...” she swallowed, trying to figure out if she had room to take off from where she stood, “to make trouble for you, and I don't think he wants me here, so... so...” she gathered herself up for a run along one of the gardens other roads – yes, that was about long enough. It would have to be. If she walked any further she feared she might step on something. While she could fix plants, she could not fix statues or decorations, and she didn't want the magescians any angrier than they were. “I think I'll just... go...”
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 11:50 am
DraconicFeline
"Naarhiji, my most delicate of land-mermaids, please, do us a favor and keep your voice down, hm? I understand your emotions are in a fragile state of constant flux, but surely even you understand how..." Elric's attention flickered and landed on Malta, lids dipping to half-mast and brow pinching at the peculiar female khehora as she backpedaled away from them. "-how unlikely it would be for you to find a Ysali khehora friend out here in this desert." He snorted softly, flicking a bead of water from his shoulder with a twitch of fingers. "Never mind finding one; it's outright outrageous that you'd approach one to begin with."
"I said she was my friend," Naar snapped as he scooted along after Malta, feeling emboldened enough by his spat with Elric to wrap his fingers around the end of one of the Ysali's wings. It was neither a firm grip nor a binding one, but he didn't want her to leave just because of stupid Elric.
The elder man clucked his tongue, head tipping back over the stones to peer at the odd pair now gracing his garden. "I know what you said," he retorted calmly. "But you aren't exactly the most challenging thing to frighten, and I don't know her. She could be quite the clever little thing, manipulating you and using you for who-knows-what." But the act, if it was one, was miraculously convincing, a real show-stopper. He raked his fingers back through wet hair, tugging the strands away from his face with a sigh. "But it's fine, I suppose. You are an adult, at least by the requirements of age, so you're entitled to make decisions on your own."
Naar ignored the bite of annoyance he felt every time Elric spoke. On some level, he expected the older Oblivionite didn't really mean to humiliate and demean him in front of his friend- another tug of Malta's wing- but to be frank, Naar felt nothing except ever-expanding irritation. He stamped it down, whipping away from the man and back to the khehora. "Please stay," he mewled, adamantly refusing to relinquish his grip on her wing. "The only thing harmful about Elric is his tongue. He won't hurt you, really! Promise!"
Hadelric scoffed.
"And he's being rude. To you, and me, and I think he should make us dinner as an apology. Right? Don't you think so, Malta?"
Malta really just wanted to get out of there and hide, but she did not want to hurt Naarhiji with a sudden wingbeat, because he was inexplicably holding onto her wing. She looked at him with a worried frown, not sure what to do about it. She had been tensed and ready to take off, and she shifted uneasily.
She had forgotten – however briefly – that Naarhiji was a magescian too and thus as dangerous as this other nearby. She remembered it now. The motives of magescians (except, perhaps, Detraeus) were difficult – nay, impossible – to fathom. They were alien. They were dangerous. Malta did not believe that this 'Elric' was harmless save for his tongue, nor did she believe that Naarhiji was as safe as he had once appeared.
She looked hesitantly at the man in the pool, and then back at Naar, before offering up a quick and silent prayer for mercy and slumping in uncomfortable acquiescence. “All right.” she said, her fins angling back uneasily. Fleeing was what she wanted to do, but staying here would be, she felt, the less dangerous option.
The least likely to offend both parties and unleash the terrible goddess-given powers that the Magescians held inside of them, that they could use to do gods-only-knew-what to her.
The most likely one for her to survive.
Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 11:15 am
DraconicFeline
Naarhiji's expression puckered. He and Malta had been having a relatively nice time. He was obviously nervous of her, and she him to some extent, but as a whole, it was an interaction Naar hadn't minded. Particularly when she was someone he'd known from Soudul. The chances of meeting her again at all were practically nonexistent! But Elric. Elric. Ruined. Everything. The young Oblivionite glanced away, his fingers falling from Malta's wing as he mumbled out reluctantly, "I don't... want you to stay just because I'm asking." He crossed his arms, tucking in on himself and shifting away from her. "I want you to want to stay, so if... that isn't what you want, then..."
He huffed, whipping his head away and tossing a glower at Hadelric. For a moment, the man glowered back, fingers tapping against the stones of the pool. Then he groaned, rolled his head back, and snorted. "You kiddos seem intent on your playdate, so I shall be the gentleman and donate a portion of my free time to you." He rose, flicking long braids over his shoulder and reaching for a robe nearby.
Naar's face heated for reasons he couldn't identify. Elric could be naked as much as he wanted, wherever he wanted around perfect strangers. That had never bothered Naar. The younger male couldn't have cared less if he strode about the house all day nude, but around Malta- Naar whimpered, scrubbing his palms against his sockets and shaking his head. Hiding from it would surely make it better.
After donning his simple garment, the older Oblivionite strode toward them, breezing by with a quiet hum of, "So what did you want, anyway? I'm not making a big to-do of the whole thing, so if you want complex, you're better off going out to eat instead of wasting my time-"
Naar's head snapped up. "We're not wasting you time! You were being mean. You owe it to Malta to do something nice, and I-" '-could just wring your neck.' '-throw a chair at your face.' '-bite your ********> he settled instead for tugging his arm back, fingers splayed and open-palm ready to exact just a touch of much-needed venting on the older, taller male.
Elric whirled to face him, catching the offended limb by the wrist and tutting out a taunting, "No." He hummed, wrenching backwards and tugging a suddenly quite alarmed Naarhiji up against his chest. The lilt of his brows suggested serious conversation, while the quirk of his lips lent itself to a threat and the tone of his voice could've been teasing. "I though we learned a little something-something recently, hm? What was it again?"
Naar pinched his lip between his teeth, eyes narrowing and brow furrowing as he muttered out a delayed, "You're... an idiot..." He tugged at his arm.
"Oh, no, nothing like that. I think it was about slapping people and how we oughtn't do such things? And was that just yesterday? My, Naarhiji, you are a forgetful child. Never fret." He released the captured limb, and Naar was quick to scuttle backward into the seemingly now much-more-protective shadow of Malta's wings, peering hesitantly around them with a frown. "I can find the time tonight to remind you." He beamed, flicking his fingers in farewell. "Toodles, kiddos."
Had Naarhiji just asked her if she wanted to stay or go? Malta thought that was uncommonly nice of him, considering the power he could bring to bear. It was as if he knew and he was apologetic about it, which made her feel bad for thinking of leaving... but also think of leaving just a little more. She shook her head. “I'll... stay...” she murmured. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. It certainly couldn't be worse than what she imagined it to be, and maybe if she didn't upset any more magescians, it might be... nice in the end?
Though, that didn't seem so likely as the argument still continued right in front of her. Naarhiji certainly seemed to mean her no harm, but this man... Malta did not trust him, and she certainly did not want to waste his time... that sounded like a very bad option.
And then things got bad again.
Malta made a very distressed sound as Naarhiji was grabbed by the other man. She scrambled forward, accepting Naarhiji into the protective curl of her wings as he was released, shaking even as she tried to be protective. Against what? How could she possibly protect her friend, especially when she was afraid of him too? This was extraordinarily complex, and not to her liking at all – who was aggressing who? Who was angry at her and why and why not and what was even going on?
Malta watched the man go, curling around Naarhiji as much for his protection as her own. “Why is he so...” she whispered, staring even after Elric was long out of her view, “so...” she struggled to find a word to describe how calm he had been, and how terrified he had made her feel with his smooth movements and his aura of confident power. “That?”
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 1:50 pm
DraconicFeline
Naarhiji shriveled against Malta's protective curl. He huffed softly, tucking his head down and rubbing his fingers absently against where Elric had grabbed him. It didn't hurt, nor was Naar particularly concerned about the threats. The guy was harmless, mostly. Naar did believe that. More than anything else, he felt agitation, with a few shreds of embarrassment mixed in. "I... don't think Elric is a bad person," Naar grumbled, tipping his head to rest on the large khehora's flank. He did make little old ladies happy for a living, after all. Couldn't be a horrible person to do that.
"He does make me mad. I just want to... win against him sometimes, you know?" Naar's lips puckered, lids narrowed, and brows furrowed. "He's so spoiled, and he thinks he's so clever. I don't think he's clever. I think he's an idiot. Somebody let him get away with too much. Now he thinks he's better than everyone else." Naar crossed his arms, sinking cross-legged to the ground and twitching his hair over his shoulder. "Not better than me... Just because he's older and bigger and... gets the last word on everything. I could, if I wanted to."
With a short huff, he tilted his attention back up to the khehora's snout. Malta was a full-grown khehora who could go wherever she wanted, do whatever she wanted, behave however she wanted, and deal with the people she wanted to deal with. She likely didn't have to put up with bossy assholes like Hadelric. He bet khehora parents taught their orakoi respect, anyway, something the elder Oblivionite was clearly lacking. He slipped to his knees, turning to face her and tugging himself up. He settled his palms on her side and blinked at her. "You don't have to worry about him. I don't think he'll bother you again."
Malta didn't know, but she thought she understood, a little, how Naarhiji was feeling. “I... know khehora like that.” she said softly. She was leaving them, after all, after trying to please them and love them and be a part of their lives for years. Her friend was far braver than she was – she would never have complained about her mother or about the Shadow's Maw, not so openly. “I think you should keep doing... what you are doing.” she said hesitantly. If she had been as gusty as Naarhiji, then maybe she wouldn't have stayed with that tribe as soul-crushingly long as she did. It was odd, she thought, how the similarity of being bullied made her feel more comfortable in Naarhiji's presence. Without that other man around... if he stayed away... maybe she could stay without worrying so much. “You are a good person, Naarhiji. Keep standing up to him and, um... one day you'll have the last word.” She wasn't quite sure what that meant, but if her friend wanted it, he could get it, just as she had done when she'd had enough of her mother's crap. She had not done it alone, though. “And I'm always here for you.” she said, hoping that that would be true. The trek ahead of her was about as dangerous as walking in a Magescian lair such as this one, and if she got home alive, she wondered if she could get back. “Wherever I end up...um... actually being.”
Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 1:15 pm
DraconicFeline
Naarhiji blinked, startled a bit by her response. Naar did not peg Malta for a particularly brave or insightful khehora. To him, she seemed like one of those lonely, quiet creatures who were content to piddle about in the shadows, going unnoticed by everyone. At best, it sounded lonesome, and at worst, it was outright depressing. It certainly wasn't anything Naar could live with. He also doubted he'd have spared much time to be around her if she was any different. She wasn't nosy or dangerous. That much he could appreciate. And it was a seldom thing when he could appreciate anything about a khehora.
Her words struck him. "Thank you," Naar said, surprised. Being told to keep 'doing what he was doing' wasn't generally the first thing any of his friends said to him. Syth was encouraging enough, but Naar expected that was more out of playful curiosity to see how far he'd go rather than anything else. Naarhiji beamed, reaching to settle a palm on Malta's flank. "It means a lot, really, and I'm sure, if you don't go too far away, I could... be there for you too?" As long as she didn't get in too far over his head, which, to be realistic, Naar didn't expect much of.
By the end of the day, Naar did fervently hope Malta's adventures wouldn't lead her too terribly astray. She was still a khehora, and he expected some degree of wild freedom from her, but so long as she came back and didn't bring trouble, there was no reason not to keep meeting her.
