Chapter XXI
#Now that that's settled, we can discuss this in an adult manner.# Na'tauk said as he too sat down. All of the other Yautja followed his example and took the chairs that they had been given.
Lex was surprised at how fast Yautja could go from arguing to behaving like adults, they all sat there waiting patiently for something, what she didn't know, so she took a peek into her visions. She sighed when she saw that they were waiting on her to say something.
"So, you want me to lead this meeting." Lex stated, as she leaned back into her chair, whilst she said this Scar and Range had moved to take up places on either side of her.
#This is a meeting that concerns you, and since we can't seem to meet in a calm manner then it is only logical that you are present to insure that this meeting gets somewhere.# Na'tauk said.
"I don't believe you, you just want me here because the medics will make sure that nothing happens that will distress me, and since, conveniently, at this moment I am at the limit of my time on my feet your using me to actually move this meeting along." Lex snorted.
That statement got her a green blush from the one that she was sure was Scar's father, but he didn't refute what she had said, which meant that she was right, like always.
"Alright, the clan whose Chiva took place will start, then it will be the other Clan that will talk." Lex said as she retracted her staff into the cylinder weapon and muttered. "I really have got to name this thing."
Scar and Range chuckled, well their own version of chuckling if she went by the rhythm of their clicking tusks, making her smile slightly. The Yautja followed her suggestion, each Clan taking their turn to make known their side of the story or their involvement with the participants.
Lex sighed in relief as the representatives of each Clan was at least courteous in their manner towards the other; she didn't know what she would have done if they had continued to be at each other's throats.
It was a couple of hours later, when explanation time was over, and they had been debating on which Clans Mark she should take, the Trienver Clans, Scars Clan, or her father's Clan, the Alderna Clan. Two choices, one because of the Chiva, the other due to genetics, which should she choose?
This was all so complicated, and this was one of the reasons why she didn't want to even leave Earth, the Yautja way of life may seem simple, but once you get into understanding their Code of Honour and their politics it all takes on a complicated edge, that shows that they are a civilization that has been around long enough to define their own version of civilized.
Lex looked up at the ceiling, trying to think of a way to solve this situation without either Clan feeling like they had been slighted. She wished she could talk to someone that was Switzerland in this instance, it would have helped, but there was no one.
The first option was to accept the Trienver Mark, and stay with them, but then her father would be pissed and he would have the precedent to start a war, because he didn't want to leave her with a Clan that was not his own, and he would have the support of a good may other Clans, as they would view it as theTrienver Clan stealing the daughter of another Clan; second, was to take the Alderna Mark and stay with her father, but Scars Clan would feel slighted as it was their Chiva that she had participated in, even if inadvertently; third, she could somehow get them to agree to make a sort of mixed mark showing that she had completed the Chiva in a way to gain recognition from both, but that had never happened before and she doubted that the other Yautja would allow it.
Neither option presented a solution, as inter Clan Chivas never took place, in fact she was pretty sure that this was the first time two Clans had a stake on a participant of a Chiva. But she had it clear she was going to receive the Mark, it just depended on working out whose mark she was going to take.
"I will take the mark, but the problem lies in which mark I'll take, as I'm entitled to have both." Lex sighed, she absently though that she was sighing a lot but this situation was exhausting.
Adrinle had been staring at his daughter since she had entered the room. This was the first time that he had seen her, and she was beautiful, he could clearly see his mate in her; he sighed as he listened to what she was saying. He knew that she would receive his clans mark as his Clan had more right to her, this was due to the fact that the father had more right to a child than the mother or a Rite of Passage.
#By law, the mark that you will bear will be mine as you are my daughter, and filial ties have more weight and precedence.# Adrinle said as he looked at his daughter, who he was extremely proud of.
Lex looked at her father, she really wanted to make a dig about how that could be considering he hadn't been in her life growing up but now wasn't the time or place, so she kept silent, she then glanced at the two who seemed to be glued to her side since she had gotten onto this ship, she suspected why that was but she wouldn't do anything about it as she wasn't sure if what she suspected was true.
#That is true.# Na'tauk said thoughtfully, as he thought over the situation. #But we have to be sure that she wishes to take the Mark, and if she does where shall the Mark be placed as the usual place cannot be used as it could kill Lex.#
The other Yautja sat there and contemplated what had been said, before nearly as one they turned to Lex and studies her, she shifted then tensed as her side reminded her, via a sharp shooting pain racing through her side, that she was injured and it was against any movement at this point.
Lex gritted her teeth, as she moved slowly and cautiously to grab her box, which she had bought with her, once she had it in her hand she placed it onto the table in front of her and, ignoring the curious looks, opened the box and started to root around in it looking for her medical container, when she found it she took it out placed it on the table and opened it, after that she undid the bandages that were secured to her wound slowly.
#What are you doing!?# Ryend yelled, worrying that the wound would become worse.
"You don't know the correct amount of your medicine that you can use with my metabolism yet, so you can't do much aside from what you have already done," Lex started to explain, her voice steady as she took of the dressings. "whilst in this box I have all of the medication that I need, that can be used with my metabolism, all of which I have made."
She stopped talking as she got to the last part, which was removing the dressing directly over the wound, she bundled the dressing that she had taken off under the injury, and reached for a red bottle, which she opened using her teeth, and started to pour the contents over the wound, this was so she could remove the dressing without the injury bleeding like a waterfall.
Once enough had been applied she place the bottle on the table and placed the cap onto the top, not yet closing it, after which she slowly pulled the dressing off of the wound, when she saw the damage she was a little surprised, but she didn't stop her movements, she had had worse.
Lex turned and looked at the contents of her box and selected a tub that had a white cap, and a bright blue substance in it, this stimulated the healing process and released a steady dose of painkiller into her system, applied it and then grabbed a yellow bottle opened that and poured the contents over the paste, this liquid was viscous, so it solidified a minute after coming into contact with the air, it sealed the wounded area protecting it from infection, and lastly she pulled out fresh bandages and started to wind them around her body.
The Yautja just sat and watched as the Ooman treated her wound skilfully, without showing if it was painful for her or not. Scar and Range shared a look, this just gave them more evidence to the fact that their Chiva Mei-jadhi had fought before, to the point that she had been injured; they resolved to try and make sure that she had no reason to need to do such actions again, they would make sure one of them would always be with her to help her.
Adrinle stared at his daughter as she applied medicine to her wounds, he was horrified that she had been hurt so many times as for her to gain such skill at applying treatment to herself, he wondered what she had gone through and why her mother would allow for her own daughter to be hurt to such a degree to gain such skill.
Minderin was having similar thoughts to his Commander as he stared at the woman that had participated in a Chiva that she didn't have to be in; absently he noticed that she was subtly watching the reactions of the Yautja present, tense but not to the point of aggravating her wounds any further.
It seemed that Alexandria was very capable of surviving, he didn't quite know if she could survive anything but he was sure she would make a good go at it, and if she failed he was sure she would go down in such a way that Cetanu wouldn't be able to deny her entry in the Eternal Hunt.
Ryend was distressed at the dexterity that her patient was showing in the self-application of medication, it showed years of experience, which meant that she had to have been a child when she started to learn to apply the medication. She couldn't help but let out a strangled sound at the sight.
Na'tauk couldn't stop himself from staring at the sight of Lex treating herself, he was impressed at the fact that she hadn't flinched once, he knew that had he been in her position he would have at least flinched a teeny tiny bit.
Lex sighed as she finished bandaging her torso, she more or less knew hat the Yautja were thinking, well at least all but Scar and Range.
"And the place that the Mark can be placed on my check, it isn't in a place that could harm me that much or damage my lifestyle." She said as she packed away her med kit, before she placed it in her ever-present box.
#What happened in you past to make you so experienced at applying medical care to yourself?# Ryend asked, not certain that she wanted to know the answer.
The question made Lex tense and stare at the table, she tried to push the memories that the question had evoked away but it was a vain effort, she remembered all of the pain and suffering she had been through.
"That is a rather long and painful story, one I don't ever want to tell." Lex said finally after a while, still staring at the table, not wanting to look at anyone. "Yet I will tell it, but only to a select few, and only at the right time."
#Does it have anything to do with the fact that you disappear ever once in a while?# Minderin asked, then he wished that he hadn't.
Lex started at hearing the question, she hadn't thought that anyone had noticed the disappearances, but to hear that it was noticed and by her father and his men was shocking, yet it angered her, she had suffered and her father had notice that she had been disappearing, yet he had done nothing; a moment later she remembered what her friend would have said, if she had been with her.
"Sometimes people know things, but they don't act, not because they don't want to, but because they can't."
Lex sighed, her friend had died not long after telling her that, every day she missed her more and more, she was a wise one that was for sure, it didn't matter that she was so young.
"Yes, it does." Lex replied quietly, she hoped that he wouldn't press the subject.
#You don't wish to talk about it, do you?# Adrinle said, as he watched his daughter. Lex looked up at her father, surprised that he had such an insight, but he wasn't wrong.
"No, I don't want to talk about it, I don't even want to think about it, yet I do." She replied.
The Hunters all nodded in understanding, They knew that sometimes there where instances that one didn't want to think about, things that they would rather forget but couldn't, no matter how much they tired.