Lar'nix'va felt the nervous beating in his heart increase as he looked at Dachande's ship.
He hadn't seen the elder yautja in two years and now he was expected to walk up the ramp to join him, as well as some other yautja Dachande had recruited to join his clan ship. It wasn't Dachande he was nervous about meeting though.
Lar'nix'va shifted and the trophy bag at his hip thudded against his thigh, reminding him of his real goal.
Finally getting Da'dtou-di's- no, Machiko's forgiveness.
He sucked in a breath and started walking forward.
They had left on good terms, but Lar'nix'va knew Machiko still held some resentment towards him. It was something he was aching to resolve and move forward with her.
Would she remember that his name was Lar'nix'va? Or has she gone on so many hunts and adventures that she forgot about him completely? Or worse, had she found someone more worthy to be her mate than him?!
All these worries had plagued him for two years and today he would finally have to face them.
Taking another breath in an effort to calm himself, Lar'nix'va began to walk up the ramp with the other yautja.
First he had to meet with Dachande.
Machiko leisurely strolled down the halls of the ship, looking for the usual meeting place she and Helena would convene at.
The other yautja in the hallway ignored her; her once irritating celebrity status among them now gone.
When she and Helena had first arrived on the ship, news had spread of them to the other yautja Dachande had invited on board. Not because they were once human. That fact had been kept quiet for now. It was their odd looks that gained their attention.
Helena stuck out like a sore thumb. Being 11 feet tall, she towered over the other yautja, and even had to have a bed custom made for her height. A very, very rare few yautja matched her height, and they were far and wide in the galaxy somewhere.
Machiko, meanwhile, was little more subtle in the looks, but they were recognizable once you took a moment to look at her. Her eyes had the ends pinched like her human ones did, and the color patterns along her body were a little more artful looking than most. The white of her front turned into swirls that connected with the blue coloring of the rest of her body.
These features gave other yautja pause whenever they looked at the women, not including their natural sexual appeal. Thankfully though, these wonder-filled looks simmered down to just cursory glances once they found out that Helena was taken and Machiko. . .was still the Ice Queen.
The woman still found it hard to connect to other beings, even ones as hard wired as yautja. To her surprise, she found them to be a lot more social than she thought a race like theirs would be. Her time with the unbloodeds gave her the impression that it was almost always duty they performed, except for the times she was being ostracized.
Oh right, that was all the time.
Machiko let out a quiet huff.
Well, they didn't matter. She had Helena. . .well, had her when she wasn't spending time with Topknot. Which wasn't much time anymore, but the woman still made an effort to dedicate time to Machiko when she could. Helena was still training as a healer, and Machiko found herself leading groups of hunters alongside Dachande whenever a hunt came up.
Thanks to her last hunting incident on the ship full of unbloodeds, she made sure to know ALL of a new planet's wildlife before going on a hunt there.
Turning a corner, Machiko finally spotted Helena and felt a moment of relief at the sight of her. Walking a little more briskly, Machiko pulled up short to Helena, only to find the taller woman looking very disturbed about something. Machiko cocked her head at her friend and trilled a greeting.
"What's got you so wound up?" She asked after the greeting was returned. Helena frowned and looked at the floor as her big toe carved a path in floor as she contemplated what to say.
"The head healer here wants to give me a crash course on babies." She finally said.
Machiko's head tilted again. "Isn't that a good thing? Helping others with their babies is part of your job, isn't it?"
Helena shook her head. "Not other yautja's babies. . .my own. . ." She quietly said. Machiko gapped at her. "Wait! You and Topknot-you're pregnant?!" "M-di!" Helena quickly replied with wide eyes. "We've never had sex! The healer just thought that we were getting there soon and decided I should start learning about them."
Machiko rose an eyebrow at her. "Well? Aren't you two getting there?"
Helena fidgeted nervously on the spot. "Sei-i and m-di. I'm just. . .we haven't discussed it yet, and I don't know if I'm ready to have another kid. We haven't even been officially declared as mates, according to Topknot."
"What do you mean? I'm pretty sure it's obvious you two only have eyes for each other." Machiko replied curiously. Helena shook her head. "They have their own version of marriage here. It's nothing like ours, but until it happens, we're not considered official mates. According to their culture, we're still courting each other."
"Well you kind of are." Machiko snickered. Helena chuckled as well and the pair of them made their way to the ship's 'dining room' area.
Even though the fact that Helena and Machiko used to be human was kept hidden, it was no secret that Helena was Topknot's bhu'ja jehdin. Vk'leita, as he was known on the ship, was very territorial over her the first couple of days they had been on board, and battled anyone who challenged him over the right to court her. Once it was known that she was his bhu'ja jehdin however, those challenges stopped.
Machiko, however, had to deal with the awkward courting attempts herself.
It was not known that she had a bhu'ja jehdin of her own. She hadn't revealed to anyone who her intended mate was and neither did the few other yautja who knew already.
When the courting attempts started, Machiko had reverted back to her old Ice Queen self, effectively driving off any further attempts made to court her by the males on the ship. Only the knew ones who joined Dachande's ship every so often made attempts at her, and they quickly learned why she wasn't taken yet by anyone.
Speaking of new yautja.
"You going to the greeting ceremony?" Helena asked as they began to grab their lunch. Machiko shook her head vigourously and plucked up a strange looking fruit before biting into it. "They're all the same to me." She clicked around a mouthful. "I don't see the need to keep greeting the newbies here."
Helena chuckled and picked up a weird looking piece of jerky before biting into it. "You were new once too." She pointed out.
Machiko remembered how years ago, she had become the overseer of an entire planet. consequently leading her to her current position on Dachande's ship now.
"Paya, that was so long ago." Machiko clicked as she picked up a piece of the jerky as well. "I feel old!"
At this, Helena let out a hearty laugh and nearly doubled over. "We don't age like we used to!" She chortled. "You're nowhere near old now!" Even Machiko had to laugh at this. "Yeah, but my sense of time is still linked with my old self." She pointed out. Helena nodded in understanding. "I get what you mean. I feel like my life's nearly spent as well, even though it's nowhere near close to being over now."
"It feels surreal." Machiko admitted. Helena nodded in agreement.
"Sei-i, it does."
Dachande smiled at Lar'nix'va as the blooded yautja approached him.
He was the last yautja to be introduced to the crowd; the others having already approached Dachande and paying their respects to him. Lar'nix'va did his respectful bow that was custom when greeting an elder, and Dachande placed his fist over his heart to acknowledge the greeting. Once the greeting was over, Lar'nix'va didn't bother to hide his anxious look. "How is she?" He asked. Dachande tilted his head. "Da'dtou-di?" Lar'nix'va nodded his head and Dachande's smile slightly faded. "Walk with me." He finally responded.
Lar'nix'va's heart beat rose in alarm but he silently followed Dachande out of the room as the other new yautja got themselves acquainted with the ship.
Dachande remained silent for some time as Lar'nix'va picked up his pace to keep up with him. Two years and he had maybe grown an inch or two taller. To say he was pissed by this development was an understatement.
But he had proven himself in his Chiva and that's all that mattered. His trophy skull even hung from his bag at his hip. No one could claim he was a failure now.
Dachande suddenly spoke up, breaking his train of thought.
"Da'dtou-di hides it from others well, but I can see it clearly. She is lonely in this place." Lar'nix'va frowned at this news and looked at Dachande from the side. "Does Yeyinda not take care of her?" He asked, almost accusatory. Dachance refused to react. "Yeyinda and Vk'leita are busy trying to start their own lives as mates. While the two woman do spend time together, Yeyinda can not be there for her always. Da'dtou-di has been patient with this fact, but I can see that it still puts a strain on her." Lar'nix'va felt his stomach turn as they walked. "And. . .Da'dtou-di has not taken anyone else?" He slowly clicked.
Dachande let out an undignified snort and shook his head. "M-di, she refuses them all. Many have attempted to court her. All have failed and have eventually given up."
A small sense of happiness overcame Lar'nix'va before it was replaced by doubt. "Does. . .does she remember me?" Dachande let out a shrug, not one to soften the blow. "I do not know. She has never mentioned you, though we have not socialized as much as we used to. . .and Da'dtou-di isn't one to let her loneliness show. I think she has even Yeyinda fooled into thinking she's fine."
This did nothing to keep Lar'nix'va from worrying. If anything, his nervousness increased.
Dachande suddenly stopped before a door and motioned at it with his hand. "She's in there."
Lar'nix'va stared at the door for a moment before steeling himself. He had to do this. There was no soft way around this.
Holding his breath, Lar'nix'va pushed open the door and walked inside.
Several yautja were scattered around the room, and at first glance, Lar'nix'va could tell this was the kehrite. Weapons lay on the floor in surprisingly neat rows, and the training sticks used for unbloodeds were nowhere in sight. The pits that individual spars were held in were all occupied, and as Lar'nix'va searched, he spotted Machiko and Yeyinda sparing in one of them.
His heart thumped anxiously at the sight of her.
She was still as beautiful as he remembered, and had clearly grown stronger as well. She was even holding her own against Yeyinda a little.
Clamping his mandibles together, Lar'nix'va took one step in her direction and then another. His walking slowly sped up until he reached the edge of her training pit and stopped. It took Machiko a moment to notice he was there, and when she did, she nearly got clocked in the jaw by Yeyinda from suddenly stopping.
"Lar'nix'va?" Machiko breathed his name. A shiver went through his body at the sound of his name leaving her mouth. She hadn't forgotten him!
Helena stopped her incoming punch and both women turned to watch Lar'nix'va enter the pit at a slow pace. He approached Machiko, eyes only for her, before suddenly reaching into the netted bag by his side and pulling out a skull that was clearly a kiande amedha's. Once it was out, Lar'nix'va got on his knees before Machiko and bowed his head as he presented the skull to her.
Machiko gapped at him as Lar'nix'va suddenly spoke softly enough that only she and Helena could hear.
"Machiko, I Lar'nix'va bow before you and ask for your forgiveness for my past actions." Then he barely tilted his head up enough to look at her. "How I treated you was wrong and incredibly shameful of me. I had no right or reason to do so and I see the error of my mistakes now. I promise," His body began to shake as he spoke. "I will never treat you like that again. I will never raise my hand to strike you again and I promise that from now on, my focus will be on you and your needs. Please," The shaking was getting worse now as his eyes gave her a desperate look before bowing his head again. "please forgive me!"
The entire kehrite came to a slow stop as the surrounding yautja paused their fighting to stare.
A yautja presenting a skull to another yautja meant only one thing. You had done something horrible enough that it required you to part with a precious trophy to show your repentance. And this small yautja was giving a female his Chiva trophy!
What had he done to her?!
Machiko clamped her mandibles together and kneeled down on the floor in front of Lar'nix'va as he kept his head bowed. Reaching out, she gently took the skull in her hands and then set it down beside her. Lar'nix'va looked up to give her a questioning look before suddenly finding himself incased in a tight hug from the woman who held his happiness in the palm of her hand. His heart thumped in surprise as Machiko squeezed him closer to her.
"I forgave you a long time ago." She softly clicked, loud enough for him to hear.
Lar'nix'va released the breath he had been holding and then wrapped his own arms around her as his body sagged from the tense pose he had been holding. He buried his face into the side of her neck and breathed her in as joy flooded his chest and his heart now thudded from the happiness he was feeling.
The rest of the yautja around the room stared at the strange scene, shocked that Da'dtou-di was actually showing affection, much less to a yautja as short as him! Then they heard a grunt from Dachande and looked to find the elder yautja giving them a silent signal to leave the room. Slowly, the crowd filed out, leaving Machiko and Lar'nix'va to have their private moment they needed. Even Helena left the room, sharing a look with Dachande on the way out.
These two had a lot of catching up to do.
Vk'leita was busy tidying up the room when he felt two familiar arms wrap around his shoulders and a beautiful face press against the side of his neck affectionately.
His heart thumped in surprise, proud of how stealthy she was becoming. He felt one of her mandibles trail slowly up the back of his neck and he shivered at the contact. She did it again before pressing herself closer to his back. "Lar'nix'va has returned." She declared against the side of his neck as her hands trailed patterns down the muscle lines of his arms. "Uh huh." He mumbled, dazed by the sensation her body was causing his. Helena smiled behind him and began to run her claw tips down his pecs and abs instead. "Do anything fun today?" She purred, trailing her claws over the curve of his hips. Vk'leita shivered and tried to focus enough to answer her. "I. . .I. . ." It wasn't working.
Smiling, Helena finally ended his torture and stepped away from his body, shocking him with the sudden loss of physical contact.
He turned and opened his arms back up for a hug from her and she laughed before complying. She snuggled into his arms, and this time, Vk'leita tried to be more focused. "Lar'nix'va is back?" He asked. Helena nodded and rested her chin on top of his head. "Sei-i, and he's with Da'dtou-di now. He even gave her one of his trophies to say he was sorry."
Vk'leita froze when he heard this and looked up at her with a frown. Helena tilted her head curiously at him. "What's wrong?" She asked. Vk'leita's frown deepened and then he stepped away from her. "It seems I forgot to do something." He softly clicked before turning and quickly going into the room that was their shared trophy room. Helena stared after him, worried about his sudden departure.
When he came back however, it was with a skull in his hands.
Helena realized what he was doing. "Vk'leita don't! I don't need your trophy, I've already forgiven you." He still approached her with it held out. "I know you don't need it," He softly clicked. "but my culture and my honor demand I do it. I'm an idiot for forgetting to do this in the first place." Helena frowned at him. "Topknot," She clicked his nickname quietly. "I was angry at you at the time, enough that I probably would have broken it on the spot. It's a good thing you didn't give it to me then."
Vk'leita got down on his knees and still held the trophy out to her and Helena let out a quiet sigh before taking it. "This feels too much like a marriage proposal." She muttered loud enough for him to hear.
Now Vk'leita was the one tilting his head at her. "Marriage proposal? That's not how we propose at all." Helena blinked for a moment before bursting out into laughter. "M-di! It's how humans propose. Normally the male gets down on one knee and offers the female a ring while asking her to marry him." "A ring?" "Sei-i, usually something made of gold or silver with some sort of gem in it. If the woman accepts, she would wear it on her finger to show she was engaged." "Oh," Vk'leita clicked curiously before continuing. "Do you want me to make you a ring?" "M-di!" Helena giggled before looking at him again. "Wait, could you actually make a ring?" "Sei-i," He replied. "we are taught to forge metals at a young age in case we need to fix our weapons or our ships." "Handy." Helena smiled. "But no, you don't need to make me a ring. I have no need for one."
Vk'leita tilted his head at her. "Are you sure?" He asked. Helena nodded. "Sei-i, I'll be perfectly fine without a ring. It's not some sort of essential tradition, after all."
Vk'leita reached out and gently grasped her by her hips. Lifting her up, he held her close and carried her to the bed.
When Vk'leita first started doing this, Helena would squirm out of his hold until he'd let go. She had been self-conscious about her weight and felt she'd be too heavy for him. He had since informed her that not only was her weight no burden to him, he enjoyed carrying her everywhere. Now she'd let him carry her as long as they were short distances.
Helena nuzzled the top of his head as they moved towards the bed. "Tired?" She asked. "Sei-i." He replied, already getting drowsy. "Long day."
"Same here," Helena informed him as he set her down on the bed and climbed in beside her. Helena opened her arms to cuddle as he gladly met her under the blanket. "I had our healer try to teach me about pups today." She informed him. Vk'leita paused his cuddling. "You too?" He asked. Helena tilted her head. "Sei-i. Did the healer try to teach you about pups like he did me?" Vk'leita shook his head. "M-di, he was just asking me if we were doing anything that would cause some pups to come." At this, Helena blushed and Vk'leita chuckled. "Don't worry, I told him we weren't."
Helena rolled her eyes. "We haven't even discussed having them yet!" She exclaimed.
Vk'leita curled his bottom mandibles before speaking. "Will we?" He asked, a little cautiously. "Talk about pups, eventually." Helena yawned and nodded her head at him before resting against the pillow. "Sei-i, we will. Just not when we're this tired."
She heard him let out a breath of relief before giving a chuckle. "That's fine to me." He declared before snuggling up against her.
Helena let herself smile as she fell asleep.
Author's note: Translation time!
-M-di: No
-Sei-i: Yes
-bhu'ja jehdin: Spirit Spar. The yautja equivalent of a soul mate.
-Chiva: trial
-kehrite: dojo/training room
- kiande amedha: hard meat (xenomorph)
So I have to admit, I actually started writing this as soon as I had posted the last "chapter". I just never got around to finishing it.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you to all of you who are still reading this. I'll see you all in the next chapter!
