Ok. Wow. This is getting really involve. I'm trying to keep up with
myself. Hehe. Well I don't have much to say this time. So, here we go///
Karigan
Complications
Chapter 12
'Prove it.'
////////////////
Daine and Alanna sat in one of the living quarters provided for guests of the king. Thayet strolled in a plopped on the seat next to Daine. "Horse Lords! If I have to deal with one more ambassador today, I'm going to loose it."
Daine laughed. "Poor Thayet; always sacrificing herself for the good of the kingdom."
Thayet looked around curiously. "Where is Justice? I thought my Lord had given her these rooms."
Alanna snorted. "She went to the bathroom to 'wash' herself. We sent a few servants after her to make sure she takes a proper bath. I don't suppose you've had the honor of smelling her lately?" At Thayet's headshake, Alanna continued. "She's been here two weeks and I suspect she has yet to take a bath. I told the servants to make sure to wash her and wash well. That was a few minutes ago. It will take at least half an hour to get the grit and grim off her. I wouldn't be surprised if she hasn't had a proper bath the entire time she's been human."
They had broken into soft bouts of laughter when a glass shattering screech came tearing through the walls. They jumped to their feet and looked to the door wildly. Another ear-piercing screech rang through the door and they heard scuffling. Alanna reached for her sword as the door to the bathrooms swung open unceremoniously. Justice screeched across the floor faster than a rat on fire. She reached the other side of the room and pressed her naked completely wet form against the wall, soap from her wet and tangled hair had run down into her face and eyes and she was starting to turn an odd shade of bright red. Two of the servants toppled out of the room; there clothing soaked in parts and both breathing heavily.
"What in the Great Mother Goddess's name is going ON?" Alanna roared.
Justice raised her hand accusingly and pointed at the two women. "Those are demons of torture!" The words came hard and heavy from clenched teeth.
"What?" Daine voiced.
"We was only tryin' to giv'er a bath Lioness," said one of the servants.
"We poured the soap water on'er and the lil' thing lost it," piped the other one.
Daine, Alanna and Onua swiveled their heads in unison to look at Justice. She was shaking with rage. "They poured water all OVER me!" she shrieked, though not as loudly as before. "Look at me! I'm completely wet! And this substance they put in my hair, what is it? Are they trying to burn my eyes out with it, because that's what it feels like."
Daine could hardly contain her mirth. "That's how we get clean, Justice. We bathe."
"You mean you actually get completely WET?" The horror in Justice's voice could not be missed.
"Yes Justice." Sighed Thayet patiently. "Humans have to use water and soup to get clean. You're not a bird anymore. For now, you are just going to have to get used to bathing."
Justice's eyes opened wide in surprise. She shook her head violently indicating refusal. When the five women turned stern faces on her, she grew angry. "ME? Get completely WET? I am a FIREBIRD! We clean ourselves. We need no water." She stomped across the room, snatched a towel from one of the servants and stomped towards her bedroom.
Alanna called out, trying not to laugh. "Either you bathe on a regular basis, Justice, or you are going to smell like a wet rat." All five women snickered at the comment.
Justice's form reappeared in the doorway of her rooms with a towel wrapped around her body. Her face had turned a dangerous shade of red and her eyes blazed with rage. She filled her lungs with air. Daine knew what was coming and braced herself for the oncoming screech. "THEN I SHALL SMELL LIKE A WET RAT'S ASS!"
She slammed her door and the five women collapsed into fits of hysterical laughter.
//////////////////////////////////
Numair tapped lightly on the door. When he heard a soft 'come in', he opened it slowly and peeked his head in. Justice sat on the bed, legs crossed under her. "I heard about your ordeal this afternoon," he commented. "Feeling a bit calmer?"
Justice merely grunted softly and grimaced. "I have a little temper," she admitted.
Numair let out deep laughter that filled the room. "Justice, from what I heard, you could have shattered glass."
She made a face at him and sighed. "Did you want something Master Numair?"
He smiled. "Yes actually, I wanted to talk with you. But please, just call me Numair." At her nod he continued. "We have not had an opportunity to talk much since you have been here, besides that first day. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions, as a scholar seeking knowledge." She looked a bit uncomfortable with the idea for a moment. "If you don't want to talk about it that is all right. I will not force you too."
"No," she said softy. "I don't mind. I just do not think you will like some of the answers."
He thought about that for a moment. Did he want the answers he was asking for? Yes. His scholarly mind refused to let up on the situation. "I was wondering about some passages I read years ago in Carthak. It spoke of the Firebird's 'Gift'. Do you suppose you could enlighten me on that issue?"
"Well," she said while shifting slightly. "The Firebirds are seers and prophets, but not like what you would normally think. We can 'see' Destiny. Centuries ago, my ancestors took a liking to humans. They liked their character and stamina. They would try to catch a Firebird for sport. If they caught one of us, he was seen through out his whole community has clever, smart, witty, what have you. But they would never hurt us. They always let us go. It soon became sport to the Firebirds as well. One day, a human caught a Firebird. He was very nice to her, praised her cunningness, and gave her praises for being the best chase of his life. She liked the human so much that she decided to give him a gift. We know how much humans crave assurance and a sense of future. So, she gave him one single 'sight', a glimpse into his Destiny. He loved the gift so much he told all the humans about it. The Firebirds did not mind giving a single gift of 'sight' to the most cunning of humans; so soon, it became legend. If you catch a Firebird, you are granted either one golden feather, or one 'sight'." She smiled. "Some humans, did not like the idea of knowing the future, that is why they made an option."
Numair was speechless. He had learned more about this rare creature than had been known in centuries of knowledge. He cleared his throat, trying to make it work for the next question. "So, this man, the one who captured you, what did he choose?"
She grimaced. "A 'sight'"
He didn't need to guess where this was going. "He didn't like it."
She snorted. "That's putting it lightly."
"What did you show him?"
She looked at him strangely, shaking her head. "The 'sight' is only for the person it is given to. I cannot tell you what I showed him. We are forbidden. I can tell you that he liked it so much that he wants to change it. I tried to tell him he cannot, but he refuses to listen."
Numair leaned back against a wall and sighed. "Destiny can be changed," he argued. "If you know your own Destiny, then you can take the steps to avoid it from happening, if you want."
She shook her head vehemently. "No."
"Why?"
She sighed. How many times was she going to have to explain this to humans? "Because it just is. It is Destiny. Unchangeable. Set in stone." She couldn't read much of the expression on his face. From what she could read, she could tell he wasn't convinced. "You don't believe in Destiny," she stated, matter of fact.
He looked at her. "No"
"Why?" She asked. He grinned at her turn in conversation.
"I don't like the idea of not having control of my life, having it be a complete matter of chance; something I just have to wait for." He looked at her expectantly.
She sighed and looked down. Philosophy was not something she was familiar with yet. Her lessons hadn't gone nearly that far. She didn't know how to answer him.
Seeing the argument sway to his side, Numair added, "I suppose it would require some kind of proof, in order for me to believe it."
"Proof?" she asked amazedly.
"Yes, proof. Like the proof that there are Gods, or that there is the 'gift' in humans. I need physical evidence that it exist."
"Hmm," she looked thoughtful for a moment and then met his eyes. "Do you love Daine?"
"What?" That question had caught him completely off guard.
"Do you love Daine?" she asked again.
"Yes. I love her more than anything else in this world." He said it with absolute certainty.
She looked down quickly in contemplation and then looked back up at him. "Prove it."
He opened his mouth to answer her, but his mind came to a blank. His love for Daine went so far in him; he did not know where it ended or even began. He could say he had feelings that proved it, or perhaps the way he treated her, with respect and love was proof enough. But somehow, that wasn't the answer she was looking for, and neither was he. He looked at her blankly and then snapped his mouth shut. He did not have an answer to that question.
//////////////////////
Wow, this is getting all deep and junk! Hehe. Well, the second part of this chapter anyways. I just wanted to stick that first part in for some fun. Hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter, coming soon.
REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW
Karigan
Karigan
Complications
Chapter 12
'Prove it.'
////////////////
Daine and Alanna sat in one of the living quarters provided for guests of the king. Thayet strolled in a plopped on the seat next to Daine. "Horse Lords! If I have to deal with one more ambassador today, I'm going to loose it."
Daine laughed. "Poor Thayet; always sacrificing herself for the good of the kingdom."
Thayet looked around curiously. "Where is Justice? I thought my Lord had given her these rooms."
Alanna snorted. "She went to the bathroom to 'wash' herself. We sent a few servants after her to make sure she takes a proper bath. I don't suppose you've had the honor of smelling her lately?" At Thayet's headshake, Alanna continued. "She's been here two weeks and I suspect she has yet to take a bath. I told the servants to make sure to wash her and wash well. That was a few minutes ago. It will take at least half an hour to get the grit and grim off her. I wouldn't be surprised if she hasn't had a proper bath the entire time she's been human."
They had broken into soft bouts of laughter when a glass shattering screech came tearing through the walls. They jumped to their feet and looked to the door wildly. Another ear-piercing screech rang through the door and they heard scuffling. Alanna reached for her sword as the door to the bathrooms swung open unceremoniously. Justice screeched across the floor faster than a rat on fire. She reached the other side of the room and pressed her naked completely wet form against the wall, soap from her wet and tangled hair had run down into her face and eyes and she was starting to turn an odd shade of bright red. Two of the servants toppled out of the room; there clothing soaked in parts and both breathing heavily.
"What in the Great Mother Goddess's name is going ON?" Alanna roared.
Justice raised her hand accusingly and pointed at the two women. "Those are demons of torture!" The words came hard and heavy from clenched teeth.
"What?" Daine voiced.
"We was only tryin' to giv'er a bath Lioness," said one of the servants.
"We poured the soap water on'er and the lil' thing lost it," piped the other one.
Daine, Alanna and Onua swiveled their heads in unison to look at Justice. She was shaking with rage. "They poured water all OVER me!" she shrieked, though not as loudly as before. "Look at me! I'm completely wet! And this substance they put in my hair, what is it? Are they trying to burn my eyes out with it, because that's what it feels like."
Daine could hardly contain her mirth. "That's how we get clean, Justice. We bathe."
"You mean you actually get completely WET?" The horror in Justice's voice could not be missed.
"Yes Justice." Sighed Thayet patiently. "Humans have to use water and soup to get clean. You're not a bird anymore. For now, you are just going to have to get used to bathing."
Justice's eyes opened wide in surprise. She shook her head violently indicating refusal. When the five women turned stern faces on her, she grew angry. "ME? Get completely WET? I am a FIREBIRD! We clean ourselves. We need no water." She stomped across the room, snatched a towel from one of the servants and stomped towards her bedroom.
Alanna called out, trying not to laugh. "Either you bathe on a regular basis, Justice, or you are going to smell like a wet rat." All five women snickered at the comment.
Justice's form reappeared in the doorway of her rooms with a towel wrapped around her body. Her face had turned a dangerous shade of red and her eyes blazed with rage. She filled her lungs with air. Daine knew what was coming and braced herself for the oncoming screech. "THEN I SHALL SMELL LIKE A WET RAT'S ASS!"
She slammed her door and the five women collapsed into fits of hysterical laughter.
//////////////////////////////////
Numair tapped lightly on the door. When he heard a soft 'come in', he opened it slowly and peeked his head in. Justice sat on the bed, legs crossed under her. "I heard about your ordeal this afternoon," he commented. "Feeling a bit calmer?"
Justice merely grunted softly and grimaced. "I have a little temper," she admitted.
Numair let out deep laughter that filled the room. "Justice, from what I heard, you could have shattered glass."
She made a face at him and sighed. "Did you want something Master Numair?"
He smiled. "Yes actually, I wanted to talk with you. But please, just call me Numair." At her nod he continued. "We have not had an opportunity to talk much since you have been here, besides that first day. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions, as a scholar seeking knowledge." She looked a bit uncomfortable with the idea for a moment. "If you don't want to talk about it that is all right. I will not force you too."
"No," she said softy. "I don't mind. I just do not think you will like some of the answers."
He thought about that for a moment. Did he want the answers he was asking for? Yes. His scholarly mind refused to let up on the situation. "I was wondering about some passages I read years ago in Carthak. It spoke of the Firebird's 'Gift'. Do you suppose you could enlighten me on that issue?"
"Well," she said while shifting slightly. "The Firebirds are seers and prophets, but not like what you would normally think. We can 'see' Destiny. Centuries ago, my ancestors took a liking to humans. They liked their character and stamina. They would try to catch a Firebird for sport. If they caught one of us, he was seen through out his whole community has clever, smart, witty, what have you. But they would never hurt us. They always let us go. It soon became sport to the Firebirds as well. One day, a human caught a Firebird. He was very nice to her, praised her cunningness, and gave her praises for being the best chase of his life. She liked the human so much that she decided to give him a gift. We know how much humans crave assurance and a sense of future. So, she gave him one single 'sight', a glimpse into his Destiny. He loved the gift so much he told all the humans about it. The Firebirds did not mind giving a single gift of 'sight' to the most cunning of humans; so soon, it became legend. If you catch a Firebird, you are granted either one golden feather, or one 'sight'." She smiled. "Some humans, did not like the idea of knowing the future, that is why they made an option."
Numair was speechless. He had learned more about this rare creature than had been known in centuries of knowledge. He cleared his throat, trying to make it work for the next question. "So, this man, the one who captured you, what did he choose?"
She grimaced. "A 'sight'"
He didn't need to guess where this was going. "He didn't like it."
She snorted. "That's putting it lightly."
"What did you show him?"
She looked at him strangely, shaking her head. "The 'sight' is only for the person it is given to. I cannot tell you what I showed him. We are forbidden. I can tell you that he liked it so much that he wants to change it. I tried to tell him he cannot, but he refuses to listen."
Numair leaned back against a wall and sighed. "Destiny can be changed," he argued. "If you know your own Destiny, then you can take the steps to avoid it from happening, if you want."
She shook her head vehemently. "No."
"Why?"
She sighed. How many times was she going to have to explain this to humans? "Because it just is. It is Destiny. Unchangeable. Set in stone." She couldn't read much of the expression on his face. From what she could read, she could tell he wasn't convinced. "You don't believe in Destiny," she stated, matter of fact.
He looked at her. "No"
"Why?" She asked. He grinned at her turn in conversation.
"I don't like the idea of not having control of my life, having it be a complete matter of chance; something I just have to wait for." He looked at her expectantly.
She sighed and looked down. Philosophy was not something she was familiar with yet. Her lessons hadn't gone nearly that far. She didn't know how to answer him.
Seeing the argument sway to his side, Numair added, "I suppose it would require some kind of proof, in order for me to believe it."
"Proof?" she asked amazedly.
"Yes, proof. Like the proof that there are Gods, or that there is the 'gift' in humans. I need physical evidence that it exist."
"Hmm," she looked thoughtful for a moment and then met his eyes. "Do you love Daine?"
"What?" That question had caught him completely off guard.
"Do you love Daine?" she asked again.
"Yes. I love her more than anything else in this world." He said it with absolute certainty.
She looked down quickly in contemplation and then looked back up at him. "Prove it."
He opened his mouth to answer her, but his mind came to a blank. His love for Daine went so far in him; he did not know where it ended or even began. He could say he had feelings that proved it, or perhaps the way he treated her, with respect and love was proof enough. But somehow, that wasn't the answer she was looking for, and neither was he. He looked at her blankly and then snapped his mouth shut. He did not have an answer to that question.
//////////////////////
Wow, this is getting all deep and junk! Hehe. Well, the second part of this chapter anyways. I just wanted to stick that first part in for some fun. Hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter, coming soon.
REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW
Karigan