Jade is the stone of calm in the midst of storm. It is excellent for healing feelings of guilt, and for extreme cases of defeatism. It also treats "pathological normality," an excessive desire to adapt oneself to a group, even if it is sect-like, exaggerated militarism, a follow-the-leader attitude, or the compulsive desire to give in to general opinion to belong no matter the cost.

(Crystal Encyclopedia)

Chapter Seven: Jade

"Who does that pauking pup think she is!"

A'thael forced himself to be still as he replayed the recent events during the evening. He stormed in after Vayuh'ta only to find her trashing things in her room. She was always fiery in nature, but never let her emotions control her to this degree.

"What is the meaning of this pup!" he barked as she continued throwing whatever she could get her hands on. When she refused to acknowledge him, he stepped forward and grabbed one of her wrists while reflexively catching the other hand that swung at him in the process.

"Why are you doing this to me Father?!" she screamed, glaring up at him like a wounded and cornered animal. It was in that moment that something clicked inside of him as he gazed into her cloudy sapphire eyes. Staring at the tears that threatened to spill from them, he felt a small tug at his heart.

He had hurt her in some way and didn't know how to fix it; curse the emotional tendencies of the ooman race.

"...Doing what?" he responded softly, his anger faltering as he noted her lower lip beginning to twitch. She gazed into his eyes intently and it felt like she was trying to peer into his mind for some sort of answer.

"You treat her differently than me… Even though she has not been with you for as long as I have…! I have done nothing but live up to your expectations, followed your every order, and trained hard so that you may be proud to call me your pup and yet…" she trailed off, the tears finally trickling down her olive cheeks. He was almost compelled to wipe them away, yet he refused to give in. He still had his pride to uphold and he would not let a rebellious outburst give way to coddling.

"And yet?" he prodded, genuinely interested in what she had to say.

"...And yet you still show more interest in her than in me…" she choked out, lowering her head as she struggled to compose herself. "What does she have that I lack? Tell me Father!"

He released her hands and took a deep breath; what compelled him to act the way he did? He thought about it briefly and couldn't find an answer himself. He barely knew the other ooman girl, yet there was something about the energy and determination surrounding her that drew him in. Feeling unsatisfied with his silence, Vayuh'ta clenched her hands into fists.

"I respectfully ask that you leave me be Father. If you have nothing to say then I do not wish to be subjected to this humiliation any longer."

Feeling himself jerk in response to her cold words, he decided it was better to retreat for now. She was too upset to be reasoned with, no matter what he said. Suddenly, Lilia's words came back to him the day he asked her what she meant when he expressed concern.

'If there is one thing I've learned in my short lifespan, Sir, is that you don't need to think about emotion so much. You just feel and that's all there is to it. Vayuh'ta is your daughter, cherish the relationship you share with her.'

"...You may not think so, but I cherish the relationship we share as it presently is pup. Nothing more, nothing less," he muttered half-heartedly before turning away and leaving her room. It was worth a shot and he had no other satisfying answer up his sleeve. He heard her breath catch and knew that what he had to say wasn't what she wanted to hear. She slammed the door behind him and everything fell silent as he retreated to his study.

A'thael sighed heavily as the image of his pup being teary-eyed replayed over and over in his head before his thoughts inevitably strayed to the other ooman girl. The moment he saw her in the hot spring, he couldn't help but notice how much she changed. Her body was no longer average in weight and was slightly toned from all the work Vayuh'ta invested into her through daily strength training. Her skin was still relatively fair, but started to become slightly sun-kissed and her waist length ebony hair was becoming glossy from a proper diet.

Her attitude and approach to things were also becoming bolder; she was still relatively mousy, but the confidence manifesting itself was more apparent with how she carried herself around the house. It was her emerald eyes that still captivated him; they were incredibly expressive and often displayed her emotions clearly. She was definitely a diamond in the rough, and if given a chance, she would certainly blossom into a worthy individual.

When she hurt herself trying to escape the water, it was then that he got a whiff of that earthy smell he had come to appreciate yet something seemed different about it. This time it seemed more alluring and as he scanned her body with his eyes, he realized she was most likely close to being in heat. This wasn't unusual as he had encountered this before with Vayuh'ta, but her scent was different than the raven-haired female's. Something about the pheromones Lilia emitted stirred a suppressed feeling within him.

He marveled at the softness of her skin every time he touched her; there was just something about ooman flesh that was on a different level from a Yautja's, and he found it incredibly fascinating each time he encountered it.

As he stared at the crimson rivulets streaming down her calf, he couldn't stop himself from running his tongue along the length of her wound and the taste of her blood sent him over the edge. He was beginning to drown in the scent that pervaded the air. His musk and her pheromones combined was more than enough to spark a strong desire to take her from behind and claim her as his own.

Before he registered it, he dragged her towards him and flipped the tiny female onto her stomach, his member fully erect and aching to be buried inside of her. He never had the chance to do so however, as the altercation between him and his pup occurred.

When was the last time he had a good pauking?

Perhaps it was due to the amount of time he invested in researching her origin that he found himself slowly becoming more fascinated by the ooman body. Maybe all he needed to do to get rid of the silly thoughts he had about the ooman girl named Lilia was bury his cock inside a female Yautja and pauk them senselessly. The more he thought about it, the more the image of the emerald eyed female kept popping up in his head, writhing and panting underneath him as she struggled to match his hungry pace.

With a startled roar at the sudden fantasy, he hurriedly left the house in search of a willing female in the village bar nearby.

Dawn came swiftly and the atmosphere was heavy beyond belief. Lilia made the decision to stay at home during the pre-trial as she felt no desire being stuck between the two after such an awkward night. A'thael and Vayuh'ta walked in a staggered formation off of his ship into the docking area of the Yautja game reserve.

The brunette was tense and did her absolute best in avoiding any eye contact as she couldn't bring herself to do so. She still felt ashamed from her sudden outburst of emotion and how her father reduced himself from a prideful warrior to nothing more than a horny young blood. The imagery was not fitting for someone like him and it left a terrible taste in her mouth.

As they ran into Hu'sta and Tan'kah, Vayuh'ta separated herself from her father and didn't bother looking back at him as she quickly went over their strategy. Each year, they switched up the form of the pre-trial, but this year seemed pretty simple and straightforward. From what was announced, in order to pass they were required to display teamwork in addition to sustaining as few injuries as possible. Nothing she and the boys couldn't handle. They were also required to slay four small beasts and two large ones. Considering there were only two other groups participating in addition to her own, she didn't feel as pressured about competition.

All that mattered was that her group succeeded.

Before long, they were thrust out onto the jungle-like battlefield. Stealthily moving forward, the trio soon encountered their first set of prey. Fortunately for her group, they came across a pack of four Yautja dogs, but something about them was strange. They were the most unsightly dogs she had ever seen as evidence of mutation was apparent through the broad spider-like limbs they possessed along with larger heads and varied saw-like teeth.

As her biomask locked onto the creatures, Vayuh'ta suddenly realized why this trial seemed a little too simple. Whatever the Yautja scientists had been genetically experimenting with went awry and it was the unblooded's job to clean it up. No wonder they specified the amount of kills needed to succeed.

Sneering in disgust as a dog snarled madly in her direction, Vayuh'ta vaulted forward acrobatically with her combistick and speared it effortlessly while Hu'sta and Tan'kah covered her other angles. Four down, two more to go, she thought as she flicked the spear to the side sharply to clear the blood off of it. Leave it to the Elders to give them something shitty to do to prove themselves. Despite the bitterness however, she chose to capitalize on this opportunity to test her abilities.

As they progressed they decided to enhance a large and old pitfall trap from a previous pre-trial in hopes that it would be useful for when they encountered the larger prey. Tan'kah prepared some rope, strategically placing it in spots that were easily accessible when the time was right. The entire process took them no longer than 10 minutes as they worked as a unit. All three nodded at one another in silent understanding as they took off to resume the hunt.

Time seemed to accelerate for her as they covered ground at incredible speeds. She had some augmentations conducted on her body over the course of her life with her father, but only ones her human body could assimilate and handle. Thank goodness for advanced technology among this species, she thought before running straight into Hu'sta's muscular back.

"Hu'sta what the pauk!" she cursed before he pulled her into his arms and swung them around the trunk of the nearest tree. She glanced over at Tan'kah and followed his pointed finger at the sight before them.

A boar-like creature the size of a house was idly scratching at the ground in front of it, sniffing at whatever scent was there. The three shared looks with one another and began their assault. Hu'sta charged forward before throwing Vayuh'ta up into the air. Using the momentum to flip onto the creature's mutated tail, she braced herself as it roared and swung the appendage to the side.

She slowly scaled the tail and painstakingly made her way along its back by stabbing into its flesh to pull herself along before eventually reaching its neck. Focused on the task at hand with all her might, she struggled to keep herself mounted as it put up the fight of its life. Hu'sta and Tan'kah were attacking it from two different sides to keep its attention divided as it struggled to combat all three of them.

Suddenly, with a roar that shook her to her core, Vayuh'ta felt the creature rumble in such a way that she instinctively threw herself off its back. As Tan'kah leapt up to catch her, she stared with wide eyes as spider-like spines exploded from the spot she once inhabited and thanked herself for listening to her intuition. She would have been fatally wounded if she hadn't.

Feeling Tan'kah tighten his grip on her as they landed roughly and bounced off the ground a few times, she felt her heart clench when she realized he was using his body to protect her. She heard Hu'sta emit a battle cry as he sprung into action and used the opportunity to distract the beast from engaging them further.

Quickly assessing the damage done to him via biomask as they moved a safe distance away, she found that his injuries were minor and it was more so his brain being rattled from their nasty fall that had him reeling. Deeming his condition to be of non life-threatening nature, she bolted back to help a cornered Hus'ta. Given that this was merely a pre-trial, they were not allowed usage of any plasma weapons. This was a test of physical ability and was certainly a lot tougher than Vayuh'ta anticipated.

We need to bring this beast to the pitfall before it takes us out… Even worse is that we are being watched… she thought quickly, having noticed another party of Yautja lingering nearby watching the battle unfold. She'd be damned if they came in to steal the kill if she and the boys were forced to retreat.

Glancing Hu'sta's way, she calculated the next course of action. Hu'sta was about to be on the receiving end of a nasty headbutt, but Vayuh'ta wouldn't allow it. Leaping forward, she extended her legs and used the male as a surface to kick off from, effectively knocking him out of harm's way and launching her up at the monster.

Plunging her spear into one of its eyes, she saw stars when she felt it land a clumsy swipe with one of its spider spines on her, effortlessly throwing her into a tree a few feet away. If she hadn't been augmented the way she was, she would have surely broken a few ribs.

"Vayuh'ta!" Hu'sta cried out as he fended off the wounded creature from lunging at her.

"Pitfall!" she managed to gasp out in pain as she crawled away from the immediate battlezone. It knocked the air out of her and it was a struggle to regain her breath. From the corner of her eye, she saw Tan'kah take off and forced herself to her feet. She had to catch up and meet him at the designated point; Hu'sta was acting as bait and she needed to make it count. The creature seemed to be enraged as its eyes began to glimmer with bloodlust, its attention locked on the male as it relentlessly charged at him.

Everything felt like a blur and soon enough she reached the trap they had prepared prior to the attack.

"Little sister!" Tan'kah called to her as he slid some rope across the ground to her. Swinging the rope around the nearest tree to use as leverage, she wrapped her hands around the cord and anchored her body, bracing herself for the impending impact. They didn't have to wait long as Hu'sta ran towards them.

"Get ready!" he shouted and before long, leapt to the side at the very last second as Tan'kah lifted the rope, effectively catching the beast's front legs and sending it plummeting headfirst into the pit of spears and various blades. It flailed for a bit, forcing the trio to quickly bring the rope against its rear to force its body further into the pit.

After a bit of struggle, its large body finally began to still and the three found a moment to catch a break, or so they thought. Somewhere nearby, another large roar erupted and they suspected the smell of the creature's blood permeating through the air had something to do with it.

Merely sharing looks of acknowledgement with one another, they readied themselves for the next beast.

Lilia sat half-dressed on her bed with her back resting against the wall and knees pressed against her chest under the oversized white shirt she wore. Resting her chin on top of her knees, she groaned when she replayed the incident over and over again in her mind.

Why do these things happen to me…? She thought gloomily, hugging her legs closer to herself. Something so sensual and exciting like that never happened in her entire life. She had been crept on by one of her foster parents butler whenever she bathed, but it never got to the point of physical contact which she was grateful for.

This was entirely different however.

The male had touched her plenty of times before, but in a chaste way that left her feeling like a child under a guardian's care. The way he put his hands on her the night before, however, was completely different and sparked something deep within her body that ached for release. Slowly relaxing herself, she began to run her hands along the places he touched, her imagination turning to darker places as she began venturing in areas never explored. She gasped in surprise when the pads of her fingers grazed her sensitive nipples; he definitely hadn't touched her there, but something about the action felt electric. Hesitantly making soft circular motions before pinching them gently, she gasped again.

All of these strange sensations shooting throughout her body… What was happening to her? She didn't know what compelled to behave this way, but a small inner voice urged her to continue almost too desperately.

Feeling the heat begin to pool between her legs, she continued to run her hands along her body in different places, noting the spots that felt pleasant to touch. Deciding that she really enjoyed the sensation she got out of rubbing her nipples, she kept one hand posted there as her other hand traveled to her upper thigh. Suddenly, she paused when her fingers landed on top of her most private body part. Her breath hitched in her throat as she went for it, using the pad of her middle finger to lightly poke and rub at the nub hidden beneath a layer of cloth.

As she contemplated dipping her hand into her panties, she suddenly jerked to a stop when she heard a bump coming from somewhere in the house. Feeling the heat suddenly distribute to her cheeks, she was certain she was as red as a tomato as she quickly felt around her immediate surroundings for her leggings to get dressed. Was the pre-trial done that fast? It surely hadn't been that long since they both left and was told they would return later in the day.

Though the embarrassment ate away at her, she decided that she did not want things to be awkward between any of them. The moment she was decent, she carefully wandered out of her room and was about to call out a greeting when she noted that the way the person moved was completely different from how Vayuh'ta and A'thael moved about. Pausing as she listened closely, the set of footfalls wandering around were moderately heavy, almost somewhat sloppy as they dragged their feet lazily.

A'thael always had a powerful and substantial stride, he never dragged his feet or kept his gait concealed unless it was later in the evening or if he was watching out for something. Vayuh'ta had a softer tread, her steps controlled and with purpose whenever she graced the halls. This intruder was sloppy, and Lilia would make sure that if it came to it, she wouldn't go down without a fight.

Quietly and carefully backtracking into her room, she felt around until she came across the wooden stick she used to practice with Vayuh'ta at times. Pressing herself against the corner of the room closest to the door, she listened with bated breath as the intruder drew closer. Willing herself to remain strong, she tried to remember everything she learned from the other female so far.

Stay calm and never let your emotions get the better of you. The moment you panic, you are done for. Never hesitate Lilia! Vayuh'ta's words resounded loudly in her mind as she tightened her grip on the stick.

Before she knew it, the footsteps stopped just outside of her doorway. Hearing the door being pushed open, she leapt forward and swung with all her might. Hearing a male grunt while dodging, she swung at him once more without hesitation. Her assault did not last long however as she suddenly felt the edge of the stick being grabbed and pulled easily out of her grasp. This threw her off balance as she suddenly landed clumsily on her bottom, making her groan in pain.

"What the pauk ooman!" the intruder began before throwing the stick somewhere to the other side of the room.

"Who are you and what do you want!" she cried out while scooting herself far away from the male, back suddenly hitting the wall sooner than she expected.

"I come here looking for A'thael and get a rabid lou-dte kale attacking me instead… I am not here to harm you. I have business with him," he said irritably. Feeling herself get slightly provoked at the term, she fought to keep herself in check. She was in no position to lash out at this unknown Yautja when she was aware of the disadvantages she had.

"Don't call me that…" she began before pulling herself together and coming to a stand. "He is obviously not at home right now… What do you want stranger?"

"As I have stated, there are important matters to discuss with him. When will they return ooman? I have already left the market unattended for too long."

Feeling uncomfortable at having him in her personal living space, she crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head to the side. "Can we talk in the kitchen quarters? I'm not very comfortable having you in my room…" she trailed off, hoping he would get the hint. Hearing him shuffle after a moment, she felt extremely relieved that he moved outside of her room. To her dismay, she found that he waited by the door and seemed expectant of her to lead the way.

"I will follow you ooman, I do not trust exposing my back to you especially after the little stunt you pulled back there," he stated simply and she huffed in response.

"It's not like I am in any position to fight you fairly… And then you come barging in here when I'm home alone nonetheless… Geez…" she muttered as she reached up to grab onto the string in the hallway. Hearing the male trill strangely behind her, she counted her steps and felt for the telltale bead in front of the kitchen.

"I had forgotten that you were afflicted with vision loss. That would explain your sloppy assault. Though I must admit it was quite impressive that you picked up on my location so fast," he mused out loud as he followed closely behind her. She could practically feel his eyes examining her every action in curiosity.

"Vayuh'ta has been training me… I'm obviously at a disadvantage given that I can't see, but the human body makes up for its shortcomings, just like most animals tend to do as nature sees fit," she said matter-of-factly, nearly running into the table had she not put her hands up in time to feel the chair in front of her.

"So you say ooman, but you still seem rather clumsy to me."

"Of course you would think that…" she mumbled and sat down, listening to him move to take his position across from her. "By the way, if you don't mind me asking... What is your name? I find it rather rude to converse when you don't know whom you are speaking to."

She could tell he paused and debated on whether or not he wanted to divulge that sort of information to her, but seeing as they had nothing better to do for the time being, he answered her.

"I am called Za-Ma'ji ooman."

"Well Za-Ma'ji, my name is Lilia, so please stop addressing me as 'ooman'. It feels incredibly degrading and I was also taught to voice my disagreement when I see fit… Otherwise no one would be wiser or take me seriously if I didn't put my foot down and draw the line..." She had absolutely no idea why she was word vomiting, but perhaps it was because she nervous that she found it difficult to stop herself.

"I agree, but you also do not need to explain yourself after stating such. Take pride, ooman."

This guy just won't let me win will he…? She thought while leaning back into her chair.

Sitting in silence for a few minutes before she suddenly brought up more conversation, she found that once she got into the groove of things, the male had become more responsive and lax. Despite their initial stand off, he was actually very easy to talk to and seemed to have seen many things during his life that Lilia couldn't even begin to dream of.

He was very frank and Lilia couldn't help but admire how blunt the Yautja were. It made having a conversation a lot easier as she learned that lying or painting pictures of one's life often resulted in miscommunication, something she encountered many times on Earth.

"I meant to ask you earlier ooman, but that mark on your shoulder…" he began before she felt herself go rigid. Why were they all so fascinated with the tattoo on her body?

"What about it? And I told you to stop calling me that. If you keep doing so I'll just refer to you as insensitive Yautja!" she teased, finding that he was probably the only one she could get away with being somewhat silly.

"What does that even mean...? Fine, if that is the only way you will satisfy my curiosity. Tell me Lilia." It sounded odd rolling off his tongue, but Lilia felt giddy nonetheless. It was a small yet personal victory to have someone else actually call her name. A Yautja too for that matter.

She filled him in on whatever she knew and could sense something change in the atmosphere as he listened to her story intently. For some reason, his presence made her feel safe, like a long-lost friend or protector. It was hard to distinguish between the two, but it was odd how she felt as comfortable as she did in that moment letting this stranger into her dark past.

As she wrapped her story up, she heard him click pensively as he absorbed her words down to the very last detail. The longer he remained silent, the more she began to worry. Did she say something wrong? Had she talked too much? Did his language translator process her words correctly?

"Za-Ma'ji…?" she said softly, uncertainty laced within her tone.

"...Do you remember anything else about that night you were attacked?" he responded carefully and she couldn't help but feel there was more to his question that she could presently give.

"No, not really… I remember someone protecting me after getting the black monster away…?" she suddenly paused as the fuzzy bits and pieces began to slowly clear up. Before she could delve further, the sound of the front door being opened loudly followed by two sets of steps broke her from her train of thought, the memory becoming hazy once more.

Hearing Za-Ma'ji get to his feet, she took a deep breath. He wasn't telling her something and due to the fact they were interrupted, she wouldn't get the chance to pry it out of him any time soon.

"A'thael you have returned. You kept me waiting long enough," Za-Ma'ji greeted moodily as the other male crossed the room to join them. Lilia was surprised to hear Vayuh'ta go straight to her room and wondered if the pre-trial went as well as she had hoped.

As she got up to go after the other female, she was startled when she felt Za-Ma'ji grab her wrist and gently pull her back down into her seat. Glancing in his direction curiously, she could only wonder why he wanted to keep her there if this was some sort of Yautja business.

"Vayuh'ta succeeded ooman, no need to fret. I informed you that today was the pre-trial brother. It is not my fault you have such a poor memory."

It bothered her that he was acting normally, as if nothing had happened between them the night before. If he wished to leave it at that, then she would bring it up another day. It wasn't a very appropriate time and she didn't really want Za-Ma'ji to hear about what occurred between them. It was bad enough that Vayuh'ta witnessed it as she wasn't sure if the other female was upset with her or not.

"Well it is not my fault that the market is chaotic these days. Between the sudden visit from the Arbitrator and news of that badblood gang wreaking havoc, I have been busy. However, I was able to gather more information on the lost Yautja technology…" Za-Ma'ji trailed off and Lilia heard him fiddling with something. As the device hummed to life, she wondered what was going on as a sudden high pitched sound speckled with static rang in her ears.

As the sound adjusted itself, she began to hear voices, familiar voices and felt her breath hitch in her throat when she heard her uncle speaking.

'-his is…-vid reporting from... Today is...twenty-eighth of August, 2064. Many breakthroughs have been made within this past month and this is no exception…' the audio of the transmission sounded fuzzy as it came in and out of focus, leaving Lilia to clutch the edges of her chair. It felt so strange to hear his voice after so long.

'..-ur biggest discovery is this extraterrestrial technology we managed to secu-... it is believed to be key in interacting with the Xenomorphs…' the audio cut out momentarily before picking up in the middle of a different conversation.

'...we plan on… using this device in an upcoming proj-... will depend on host assimilation and be repea-... multiple trials before perfecting prototype… we shall dub this as Proj-...LUNA'

Suddenly, the audio died and the static sound disappeared. The three occupants in the room sat quietly before Za-Ma'ji felt the need to elicit some sort of response other than silence.

"Well? What do you think Lilia? Considering you told me you hail from this ooman facility."

"This was about 6 years before I was even born…" she said absentmindedly after a few moments, desperately trying to process what she had just heard. After replaying the last bit of audio in her brain a few times, she realized that her uncle sounded nothing like the man she remembered; he sounded cold and calculating, completely opposite from the encouraging and gentle man that stayed by her side when she had her lab tests done.

"I honestly don't know what you expect me to say."

"Have you heard anything about this project during the time you lived there? Other oomans are not exactly skilled in being as discreet as they like to think they are," A'thael suddenly chimed in, clearly intrigued by this new bit of information.

Lilia thought about his question and only drew blanks. Had there ever been a time that the nurses or other doctors let something slip? Feeling her head start to throb, she sighed heavily. She wanted to believe that what she was hearing wasn't real, but couldn't get past the idea that it was most likely very possible given her family's scientific background.

"I can't recall uncle David ever letting something about a project LUNA slipping… This is the first I've heard of it… At least from what I can remember. Don't forget, my memories are still a bit hazy. I'm curious, but nothing comes to mind as of this moment. Sorry…" she trailed off, wrapped her arms around herself once more. What did her uncle get so caught up in that made him sound so cold and different?

"Were you able to recover anything else Za-Ma'ji?"

"There was only this other segment that was in poor condition…" the male said as he fumbled around with the device again.

"...How were you even able to get these Za-Ma'ji? I don't know what the facility's condition is like anymore but I'm sure it was mostly destroyed after the attack…"

"The Yautja are very resourceful, especially when it concerns technology stolen from us. It is a sworn code among our kind to eliminate all traces of our presence when the hunt fails in addition to ensuring proper disposal or collection if our predecessors are unsuccessful at destroying evidence," Za-Ma'ji stated all at once.

"I suppose that makes sense… But that still doesn't answer my question Za-Ma'ji," Lilia muttered. He was clearly dodging the question and she wasn't going to let him get away with it. She'd be damned if both males dodged her this day.

"Tread carefully ooman. You are being asked the questions here," A'thael warned her.

"Yeah, well I'm tired of having to answer personal questions all the time and not being met halfway. I may be in no position in your eyes, but I'm getting fed up of having all of you delve into my past! Until you can start giving me more answers I'm done here. Excuse me," she gushed while quickly getting to her feet and hurrying out of the room. Bumping into the corner of the doorway on her way out, she let out a loud frustrated yelp before continuing on her way, leaving the two males speechless at her sudden and clumsy departure.

"...That ooman is a bit feistier than she lets on. Though I could sense some pent up energy in her when we spoke earlier."

"When did the both of you become so friendly, Za-Ma'ji?"

"...She is the little ooman from back then A'thael," he suddenly revealed, surprising A'thael with this piece of information. All of the research he had been doing was beginning to make sense as some of the pieces started to fall into place.

"I had my own suspicions the moment I saw the mark on her shoulder, but was not entirely certain. What were the odds of encountering the same being over such a long time span. Are you certain though?"

"Yes… I remember those eyes. It was my fault A'thael… Our brothers are dead because I screwed up on that chiva…" he trailed off, immense regret clinging to his words. Za-Ma'ji was one of the few of his kind that was more emotional than socially acceptable, however he was good at keeping himself in check in front of others except for him but A'thael found that he did not mind so much. It was a comforting feeling to know that his brother trusted him with his inner thoughts and emotions despite the stigma behind it.

"Sei-i, our brothers are gone. Did you think that you could atone for your failure by saving her?"

"Maybe I did… She was so small and fragile-looking that when I saw the kiande amedha lurking over her, I could not help it. It is troubling... Why would an ooman life matter? But it would have been dishonorable for me to not try seeing as I could not help the others… My body moved before I even realized it and suddenly she was in my arms," Za-Ma'ji expressed himself in such a way that A'thael understood. It was similar to his own situation with his pup; he didn't even have to think before coming to her rescue. It ate away at him for a long time, but he learned to accept his spur of the moment decision and found that there was no need to regret anything.

"In all honesty though, it was you who truly saved her A'thael, you saved us both. Had you not rushed in when you did, we surely would have perished that day. What are the odds that we crossed paths again though?" he couldn't help but wonder as the situation in its entirety was bizarre.

"Let us not dwell too much on the past brother. It is done. We should refrain from speaking about this subject any longer for today," A'thael cut him short, having sensed someone lingering in the hallway and eavesdropping on their conversation.

Za-Ma'ji suddenly sensed the other person as well and they shared a nod of understanding.

"Sei-i, I take my leave now brother. Until our paths cross again, I shall keep you updated."

"Thank you brother. Vayuh'ta's chiva will occur five days from today… Just to inform you in case you forget once again."

Za-Ma'ji scoffed and waved his hand in a dismissive manner before leaving A'thael at the table with his own thoughts.

"It is not polite to eavesdrop on matters that do not concern you pup…"

And with that Vayuh'ta rounded the corner slowly before locking eyes with him, the shock of her discovery fully apparent as it danced in her sapphire orbs.

"Father…?"

Terms Utilized

If any mistakes are made with any of the terms, please don't hesitate to correct me.

Sei-i: yes

Kiande amedha: hard meat (Xenomorphs)

Chiva: trial

Ooman: human

Lou-dte kale: child-maker (female)