*screeches in coffee addicted college student*


Kassi refused to speak to her. She refused to speak to her, and to stay in the same room as her, and even see her. And Onya didn't have the strength to insist, to push her, to seek her gaze, her touch. She was Wormana, and Wormanas didn't feel anything. So when the Skaigada would stop smiling when she entered the room, when she would quiet up and darken when Onya could hear her, when she would leave when Onya was close, Onya pretended that it didn't bother her, that she didn't feel anything and certainly not her broken heart in her chest.

Lexa didn't say anything, she didn't talk, she didn't try to fix things. She was Heda, and Heda had other things to do. And yet, Onya was convinced that she had seen a glimmer of 'I told you so' in her eyes.

At first, Oksana tried to intervene, to patch them up, to force Kassi to talk to her, but after she threatened not to talk to her either, she stopped, and just gave apologetic look in the direction of Onya.

As for Tris, she first bombarded her with questions, trying to understand why, how. Onya had snapped at her and the little girl had gone quiet, completely, silently following her orders and her trainings. And Onya had overheard one of her conversations between Aden and her, where she said it was like "mom and dad are getting a divorce." Onya had a vague idea of what that meant.

After a week of this treatment, Onya gave up hope, and just watched her from afar, claiming to want to make sure nothing happened to her. She looked smart now, clinging to the skirts of a woman, she who was indomitable, a force of nature, a daughter of the forest.

But, of course, this state did not last.

Everything changed on a misty, cloudy afternoon, as Onya, half-focused on Tris' gestures, watched out of the corner of her eye as Natshanagada helped Oksana carry pots. Her face was clouded, her mouth closed, and Onya almost wondered if the hard life and the misfortunes of the ground had finally gotten to her.

And it was at that moment that everything changed.

Onya heard a scream, a woman's voice starting to yell, followed by a huge din, cacophony of voices and weapons. Onya hadn't even had time to react before Natshana was already rushing in the direction, barely a white flash across the yard. Onya immediately set off in pursuit.

Kassi made her way through the group of onlookers gathered in front of a small dilapidated house, jostling, and Onya rushed after her.

"Kassi!"

In the center of the circle, a woman had fallen to her knees, her face covered in tears, screaming and crying in a desperate voice. Kassi threw herself beside her.

"What's happening? Chit laik ste gyon kom?"

The woman replied in a thread of voice made sharp with anguish. From what Onya understood, he was trying to take his baby.

And he was one of Heda's warriors, Viktoria's husband, Erik. And he held a baby wrapped in a blanket.

"Yu!" Kassi exclaimed. "Chomouda laik yu ste jak om fyucha op?!"

Erik didn't even deign to turn to her.

"Dofo! Ai ste chich yu op, asol!" Kassi cried, jumping to her feet to rush towards him.

Erik pushed her away with a sweeping movement of his arm, sending her flying backwards, and Kassi stumbled, colliding with Onya who managed to catch up with her at the last moment. She said nothing, turned away pursing her lips, refusing to speak to her, but Onya knew what she expected of her.

She turned to Erik.

"Erik. Chit laik ste gyon kom? Chomouda laik yu ste jak fyucha op?"

He lifted his chin, looking annoyed.

"Em laik nou fyucha. Dison laik nokoma kom om seingeda."

And he pulled back a flap of the blanket, revealing the disfigured face of the child, one of his eyes puffy and closed. Gasps echoed through the crowd, the word "Frikdreina" passing from mouth to mouth. The mother curled up, starting to sob silently, as if she knew her baby was destined for death.

Only, Kassi didn't seem the least bit disturbed.

"And then what? Doesn't change anything."

"Kassi."

"Han em om fyucha au bak."

"Kassi. The child has the radzhaknes," Onya continued. "He won't live."

"Why?"

"This is our way."

Kassi pursed her lips.

"No offense but fuck your way. I'm tired of watching people die in the name of tradition, religion or other bullshit. A few decades ago, they would have killed me for being a woman, for being gay, for being albino. One page of a book isn't worth a fucking life. If the mother wants to keep it, who are we to forbid her to?"

Onya did not answer. What could she have said? Kassi was right, she knew it now.

Skaifaya turned back to Erik.

"Give her back her child."

Erik pulled back his lips over his teeth in a wolfish smile.

"Fuck off, Skaipichu."

Kassi raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly at the side. Onya knew what she was going to do at that moment.

"No! I forbid you!"

But Kassi didn't give her a single look.

"I challenge you, asshole."

Whispers and shouts echoed her words again.

"Don't you dare," Onya hissed through her teeth.

"If I win this fight, you will give the child unharmed to his mother, and leave them alone. If I lose, well… I guess you're gonna kill two birds with one stone."

If Onya had believed in a god, she would have insulted them.


"Are you insane?!"

Onya hadn't meant to sound that loud. Well, not completely.

Standing on the training ground, Kassi spun around, several of the warriors mimicking her movement.

"I mean, we already established that I'm definitely not mentally stable so why are you asking?"

In two steps, Onya had moved closer to her, her hand brushing her arm, not really daring to touch her. The other warriors turned around, pretending not to see them.

"This is no joke," Onya growled through gritted teeth. "Erik is an accomplished warrior. You're like a lizard with a sword."

"Are you calling me a reptilian?"

"Kassi!"

She freed herself suddenly, tying her white hair on her skull with a leather strap.

"I thought you were done with the whole 'dying' thing!"

"I am."

"Then, what the fuck was that?!"

Kassi raised an eyebrow, surprised to see her using that language. But Onya was too furious to care.

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you do that? Why did you provoke Erik into a fight?"

"Haven't you heard? He's grade A asshole."

"He is going to kill you, Kassi."

She rolled her eyes.

"Geez, thanks for the trust, honey. It's good to know that you believe in me."

"That's not what I meant," grumbled Onya.

"It is, though."

She grabbed a sword from the rack dedicated to the storage of weapons usable for training.

"I am not dying out there. I am going to kill Erik. When I said he was gonna kill two birds with one stone, it's also the case for me. I am going to kill Erik, and give the baby back to his mother, and Viktoria will be free."

"This is insane," Onya whispered.

"Did you listen to anything I just said?" Kassi asked, pointing the tip of her sword in her direction. "I am going to kill that bastard, even if I have to die of exhaustion in the process."

She twirled the sword in her hand, with more ease than Onya would have given her, and she wondered if she hadn't been exaggerating her helplessness all this time.

"I am not dying," she declared, detaching each word. "That is my job. To fight. Yours is to give me a stick."

"Why would I give you a stick?"

"It's metaphor."

"It's a shitty metaphor."

"What I mean is," she said, rolling her eyes. "You trained me. You taught me. So teach me one last time. 'Cause I need you to give me a stick.

She drew a circle on the ground with the tip of her sword.

"So, are we doing this, or are we gonna keep chatting until Lexa finally finds a girl? 'Cause we could be here for a while.

Onya pursed her lips, restraining herself from yelling all her reproaches at her, then grabbed her own sword and stepped towards her.


Chit laik ste gyon kom?: What's going on?

Yu! Chomouda laik yu ste jak om fyucha op?!: You! Why are you taking her baby?!

Dofo! Ai ste chich yu op, asol!: Hey! I'm talking to you, asshole!

Chit laik ste gyon kom? Chomouda laik yu ste jak fyucha op?: What's going on? Why are you taking the child?

Em laik nou fyucha. Dison laik nokoma kom om seingeda: It is no child. It is a disgrace to her family.

Han em om fyucha au bak.: Give her her baby back.

Guys, I just realised what the hell I'm doing. The only trigedasleng dictionnary translates word in english. English is not my first language. I am learning an imaginary language in a language that is not my first!