The next chapter is here! Enjoy :)
Kata'nu was a little unsure why Julie hadn't really said much to him the last couple days.
It seems like whenever he tries to, she gets snappy with him and then storms off. It also seems like she had been spending some more time in her room as of late.
And whenever he went in to check on her, he'd sometimes find her sitting by one of the windows at the back of her room. She'd be looking out of it with a sort of melancholy look on her face.
He could read her emotions quite well.
The large male yautja wasn't blind. He's fairly certain he saw a hint of hurt and anger in her eyes when Yen'Sha stopped by the other day to mate with him.
It baffled him a little to wonder why she would have hurt in her eyes. Even more baffling as to why it affected him to the point that he started to feel a little guilty mating another female while Julie was in their presence.
Kata'nu wanted to inquire her about it. Though it seems like whenever he tried to strike up a conversation with her, she would either ignore him or get snappy.
He thought about it and got an idea.
He knew of one who knew everything there was about human females. The same someone that taught him quite a bit about humans in general.
So, Kata'nu decided to give her a call and see if she will stop by.
He started tapping a few buttons on his wrist comp and then waited for the other to pick up the signal and answer. For the first few seconds, there was nothing.
And then, they finally answered.
Kata'nu spent around five minutes on the phone with them, before the communication ended between them. And they said they would be right over to talk with him and Julie.
Not long after that, around ten minutes later, he heard faint footsteps in the hall above on the second level and knew that the young ooman female came out of her room.
He waited to see if she was going to come down or make a B-Line to the Study.
She apparently went with the former and he heard her coming down the stairs. So, he went into the Living Room to see if he can try to talk to her a little.
Kata'nu was a bit brief during his call and didn't convey much about the ooman female taking up residence in his home. He just told them that he was having some communication issues with her, and he needed input about how he can better understand her and take care of her.
The large reddish male went and sat on the couch not far from the stairs.
Julie came down to get something to drink when she spotted Kata'nu on the couch. His gaze was on her, and he kind of gave her the impression he was waiting for her while he sat there.
She arched an eyebrow, "What?"
"Was just wondering if we can talk. Preferably without you biting my head off and then stomping off." Kata'nu stated.
The young woman went and stood across from where he was sitting and crossed her arms.
"About what? About how unorthodox it was to kidnap me and then take me here? Or perhaps about the lovely little show I unfortunately got a front row seat to for at least a good thirty seconds of my life that I would like to forget?" Julie quipped.
He awkwardly ran a hand through his black dreads while looking away briefly.
This had to be the first time, she thought she saw a flicker of either embarrassment or regret in his bright yellow gaze. Though something told her it was more or less likely regret.
"I'm sorry about that. I was so used to living alone, that I simply forgot to lock the door." He told her.
"You think? Regardless, even just having to continue to hear all that for the better part of the next couple hours was both extremely gross and obscene.
How could you possibly do that, knowing it would've most likely made me uncomfortable to have to listen to that? And seeing it, only made it even worse. Did you ever stop and think about how it would make me feel? Or were you really just that busy only thinking of yourself and your own needs?" She snapped.
He closes his eyes and lets out a long sigh.
"Again, I am sorry. This is just how things are during mating season. And I figured it wouldn't bother you that much." Kata'nu said.
Which was probably the wrong thing to say judging by the scowl she was now tossing his way.
"Wouldn't bother me? Wouldn't bother me!? How would you like it if I brought a guy here and openly fucked him while being very vocal about it!? I doubt you would be no more comfortable with it than I would!" She practically yelled.
While she told him this, Kata'nu swore he saw a loom of hurt in her eyes yet again like when he introduced her to Yen'Sha.
"And it won't happen again. If there is any more mating, I'll make sure to go the female's dwellings instead of bringing them back here. Especially now that I know how much it really bothered you." He informed her.
But instead of seeing relief on her face, she still seemed to grow angrier.
"You still really don't get it do you? You get to have all this freedom to do whatever you want. While I am still bound to all the limitations, I have upon being here." Julie snapped.
Kata'nu was a little confused as to what she meant about limitations. But understood that she was still upset about being this far from her home world.
He opened his mouth to say something, when a ringing sound filtered the house.
Knowing who it was, he got up to answer the door and allow them in.
She watched as the large male got up and went over to the front door several feet away from the couch. He punched in the code to unlokc the door and then moved back and aside to let the other in.
Julie was stunned to see a human woman come walking in.
She looked to be in her early to mid-forties at most. The woman had long plated dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. Her skin was nicely tanned, she wore a nice knee length two piece deep blue gown and appeared to stand at a height of five foot six if Julie had to guess.
The woman was actually quite stunning and rather beautiful.
The woman shared a brief greeting to Kata'nu before her warm hazel gaze landed on Julie. She gave the younger, petite woman a soft smile and started to approach her.
"Hello, Julie is it? It is very nice to meet you. My name is Joyce." She said in a light southern accent, holding out her hand.
Julie couldn't help but smile back at the taller woman and grasp her outstretched hand to shake. But at the same time, she was wondering just who this woman was and how Kata'nu knows her.
"Hi, nice to meet you too." Was all Julie could get out.
"Shall we sit?" Joyce asks politely, and gestures to the couch.
All Julie could do was nod and follow her to sit down on the couch.
"Would you two like anything?" Kata'nu asks.
Julie shifted her gaze to him briefly, "Water, please."
"Nothing for me, thank you." Joyce replied.
He nodded, then he left for the kitchen to get the water.
"I hear you're having a hard time adjusting." Joyce said.
Julie's gaze snapped back to her.
"Ye...yes. Though I don't know how anyone can adjust to being on an alien world. I mean, can you truly say you have fully adjusted?" She inquired the older woman.
Joyce just shrugs a little, but the smile still has yet to leave her face.
"It was a little challenging at first. I was quite scared myself when I was brought here. But in the end, I have no regrets. I am happy and healthy and living a great life. I can't help but feel it's much better than the one I would've had on Earth.
During my time, there were just so many high expectations for women like me, and many I was not happy to fill the role of. And when I think about it, I was happy to leave it all behind to start this new life I have now." She told the younger woman.
Julie hung onto every word she had just said. The woman did appear happy. And she looked to be treated well and didn't have any bruises or other distinguishing marks on her to show she has been mistreated.
But something still irked her a little.
"I'm sorry, but what exactly did you mean when you said, 'During my Time'?" Julie asks.
"Well...this may be a little hard for you to take in. But...I was brought here back in 1888 at the young age of Eighteen. So, I've been here now for roughly around one-hundred thirty-five years." Joyce admitted.
She watched as the younger woman's eyes nearly bugged out of her head once she heard this.
"What?! How is that possible!? How are you still alive!? And how is it you only look like you're only ten to twelve years older than me!?" Julie blurted out.
BY now, she hadn't realized yet that Kata'nu had already come back with her water, and he had to tap her shoulder to get her attention and give her the metal cup of water.
Then he sat down beside her and watched as they continued to chat with one another.
"It's a little hard to explain, but the yautja have a way to extend another being's lifespan to closely match their own. And it's not just me. Many other alien beings here including other humans have went through this process themselves.
The actual process is actually not very long and rather simple to do. All they really do is combine some of the yautja's blood and DNA with our own. As it spreads and adapts to our bodies, it makes slow and steady changes to it.
Don't worry though, all these changes are internal and not external in any way. It's just enough to make us more adaptable to the climate here and extend our biological clock. It also makes us a little stronger and faster as well.
I must say though, I'm a little surprised no one told you of this yet nor had it done for you yet." Joyce informed her.
"Nope, not a damn clue. No one told me anything." Julie ended the last statement as her gaze snapped to Kata'nu, giving him a dirty look.
While he kind of just sat there with a sheepish look on his face.
Julie's gaze went back to the older woman when she heard her let out a small chuckle.
"Why am I not surprised. You still have a habit of withholding important things to the end. Don't you, son?" Joyce stated, her gaze now on Kata'nu.
"SON!?" Julie blurted out loudly.
Then her head snapped back and forth quickly from the older woman to the large, male yautja sitting on the other side of her.
"How!? You're telling me it really is possible for humans and yautja to procreate!?" Julie exclaimed.
"Not necessarily, scientists believe by adding our blood and DNA to a human is what makes it possible. It altered their body chemistry enough to successfully conceive and gestate yautja pups.
And I'm sorry, I didn't bring up this process to you. I just didn't want to alarm or scare you. Especially, after seeing you still appear to be upset about this new living situation on a new world.
Was going to wait for you to adjust a little more before bringing you to our healers to have it done." Kata'nu admitted.
Julie balled her fists in her lap, "And what? I don't have a say in this? You were just going to take me to these people without question and have them do this to me?"
"It's what we do with all servants, Julie. Every one of them that are brought here have it done. It's so they can stay young and strong longer. Many don't want a being with a short life span that will wither and die within a few short decades.
They want ones that will last for a very long time. Mainly so they don't have to go through the process of obtaining new servants after the old ones age and die." He told her.
"While it all sounds very interesting, it still pisses me off that I don't have a choice or a say in the matter. Just like everything else in this new life I now apparently have.
You say, people here are treated fairly, but it still sounds like at the end of the day, they still don't have a choice on what they wish to do with their lives. All the choices are made for them by the owns who own them.
A life like that, still doesn't sound like a life at all." She said.
"That's actually not entirely true. There are many caregivers out there that are very lenient and give their servants choices. I know of at least a couple that allowed their servants have their own homes.
They were also allowed to court others and have children as well. And even though it is rare, some caregivers have courted their servants or other beings in the past and took them for mates. Having children with them even.
I know this, because I'm one of them. Kata'nus father, Set-Thwei took me from Earth and made me his servant. We became very close in the coming months I was under his care.
That closeness blossomed into love. Not long after, he started courting me, and I accepted to being his Life Mate. Our first child, Sadie, was born not long after. And then I had Kata'nu here not a couple years after that.
His father always treats me well and our relationship is still very strong to this day. We have seven beautiful children together, and many grandchildren. Because of all these wonderful years I have had, it's why I don't ever have any regrets about living here." Joyce explained to the younger woman, in hopes she may be able to understand their way of life better.
By the end of it all, Julie was sitting there, rubbing her temples.
It was just so much to take in right now. So many thoughts and emotions were running amok in her mind. And all it did was mentally and emotionally exhaust her.
"It really was nice meeting you. But I think...I need to go lay down now. Please excuse me." Julie said.
Then she got up, grabbed her water from the low sitting wooden table a couple feet in front of the couch and headed for the stairs.
Joyce felt sorry for the younger woman. She understood, it was a lot to take in. And even after nearly a century and a half, it still feels like yesterday when all of this was explained to her as well.
Still, she really liked Julie. She saw so much of herself in the clearly headstrong young woman. It was clear she was quite spirited, feisty, and didn't take shit from anyone.
Perhaps, this could be why her son had taken an interest in obtaining her.
"I still worry for her, mother. These last couple days, she hasn't seemed to be eating as much as she did when I first brought her here. And appears to be angrier with me. Especially after what took place a couple days ago." Kata'nu said.
"And what is it that took place that could've angered her so?" His mother inquired.
"I invited Yen'Sha over to mate. And Julie had to endure listening to us so up in my bedroom. She also saw us mating, when I forgot to lock the door to my room. So, it slid open as she walked by. And...it sort of gave her a free show." He awkwardly explained.
A flash of disappointment seemed to pass through the human woman's eyes.
"Kata'nu, you should've been thinking more clearly. If you feel the need to mate, you should've taken it elsewhere instead of having her get in the middle of it. I don't blame her for being angry about the whole ordeal. And I'd say, you have an awfully lot of apologizing to do." She said.
"I know, but I think what bothers me most, was the look on her face. There appeared to be a look of hurt in her eyes when I both first introduced her to Yen'Sha and then I saw it again briefly out of the corner of my eye when I noticed she had caught us in the middle of mating.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't know why she'd be hurt. Nor do I know why it in a way, affects me as well. It seems like after the initial mating, I couldn't help but feel guilty about the whole thing." He admitted to his mother.
She gave him a small smile, "It seems like despite telling you everything I could there is to know about humans, you still don't seem to understand some of our most complex emotions and why we feel them.
The fact that seeing you mate with another female hurt her and it in turn has made you feel guilt may point to something you both share for one another. And these feelings you may have, are something you don't know how to process because you never felt them before."
"Sounds like you're implying we have some kind of connection or bond. But how can we? When We've only just met not even a week ago?" He inquires.
The smile doesn't leave her face though.
"Sometimes we just know and feel things right away, Kata'nu. Why else would you acquire her when you never thought to obtain a servant before? You clearly must've seen something within her then that drew you to her. Otherwise, you wouldn't have taken her under your care instead of having her go with someone else.
And as I mentioned before, you just don't know what you're feeling because you never had these feelings before. So, they feel strange and unfamiliar to you. But in time, you will eventually learn what they mean and why you feel them." She tells him.
"How can you say I don't know what feelings and affection are though, mother? When you have showered my siblings and I with love and affection all of our lives." He says.
She shook her head, "It's not the same, my son. Affection and love from a parent or relative are not the same as receiving those sentiments from one who has no relations to you. In many ways, it's a different form altogether."
"I'm still unsure if that is even the case. It could be that I simply just feel bad for her. For putting her in the situation she's currently in. I hated it when she stated she felt like she had no choice or a say in things. When she does.
I wouldn't make her do anything she didn't want to. Unless it has to do with her safety. But perhaps upon obtaining her, I guess I feel I'm way in over my head on how to help her adjust and take care of her needs.
Here I thought I know everything there was about human females, because of all the things you told us growing up. But with her, I can't help but feel like I know next to nothing about them or their emotions.
It's why I called you here to begin with. Because I really needed your insight." Kata'nu admitted.
His mother placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze.
"And I have provided you with what you have asked. All you can do, is continue to be patient with her. Remember, she was taken from the one and only life she's ever known and catapulted into this new life on a new world among alien beings.
It is something that will take time for her to get used to. After all, one can't learn everything there is to know about an alien culture and traditions all in a handful of days.
Some also can only be learned by observation. Which unfortunately, she saw a shining example of yautja mating during mating season. Something that probably came across as both mortifying and shocking.
The best thing right now, is to let her adjust at her own pace. Take her out, show her our world and everything it has to offer." His mother suggested.
Kata'nu was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, thank you. Though before I do that, I still need to get her a wrist band with my symbol on it. Since she refused to wear the collar that most servants tend to wear for their safety." He informed her.
"That shouldn't take long to acquire. But I'd do it as soon as you can. While most servants haven't been abducted in the past for not wearing their caregiver's symbol, it still doesn't mean it could never happen.
I may not be a servant anymore since I became your father's mate. But even I like to still where my wrist band, gives me a strong sense of security when I do." She said, holding up her left arm and showing her nicely made leather wrist band that stretched from her wrist to about mid-forearm.
And of course, it had his father's symbol on it, so everyone knew who his mother was with.
"I'll have one made right away. I'll go out to see the crafters later today. Though, I'll need to bring Julie. Because they will need measurements of her wrist and forearm to make a proper fit.
Hopefully, she'll be in a better mood by then." He said.
"Just give her a little time to herself first. Before you go up and talk to her again." She told him.
Kata'nu gave her a brief nod.
They chatted for a little longer. Before his mother left. She gave him a hug and wished him good luck on the way out.
Once the door slid close, he slowly turned to face the stairs. His mind drifted to the young ooman female and what his mother had told him. He was still unsure what it is he felt for Julie.
But it's like what his mother said, he needs to figure it out for himself. Because after all these years, he only knew the yautja way when it came to females and mating.
But still apparently has a lot to learn when it comes to ooman females.
Looks like Kata'nu will have his work cut out for him.
Until Next Time ;)
