[Riverfall Council] Enough Is Enough (Cayenne)

[Kavala]

Timestamp: 15th of Spring, 512 AV

The Konti stood before them stoic. Kavala had on simplistic finery in the form of a scarf dress and low sandals that accented her fitness. The color, however, wasn't enough to hide the paleness that was unnatural even for a Konti, nor the gauntness of her form. The city, even The Sanctuary, and the whole world in fact had been through a great deal lately. Kavala's appearance reflected that. Gone was the glow. Gone was the excitement. Her bright blue eyes were a dark shade of azure, determined, but not pale with intense emotion that always made them go so pale blue that she looked blind. To someone who knew her, they'd understand that this part of her was devoid of emotion - this part that faced the Council - for emotion would have no jurisdiction in the central room she stood within. Ten men flanked her, seated in a semi circle dais before her. She was alone in the midst of them, standing in a ocular of light that cast judgement before she even spoke.

The appointment was hard won. Bribes had been paid, favors called in, and even persistence utilized. It was rare for the Council to see a Nakivak on the business of her being a Nakivak, since the Oathmaster took precedence in such cases. And yet she couldn't lie. Kavala couldn't say she was here for a business arrangement or to discuss another loan. The moment she spoke the falsehood would be discovered and she'd be dismissed.

No, she was here for her freedom and that was that. Having been escorted into the chamber after more than an hours wait she was glad at the timing. It was just after lunch and she hoped that the Council had been breaking their fast while she waited. Full stomachs were easier on men. Decisions were more carefully thought of and leniency was more likely if they weren't focused on food and the hour until such was delivered.

Kavala took a breath, forced herself to relax, and then when she was given a chance to speak she carefully paused, took another deep breath and began.

Her opening remarks were simple. "Thank you for seeing me. I appriciate that the Council is busy and does not always have time. This means a great deal to me to be allowed to speak to you." She said.

"I was fairly rescued from a situation that would have undoubtedly ended my life, and for that I am profoundly grateful. I have never regretted being here in Riverfall and being considered one of the citizens. I have worn my bracelet of servitude and offered my body to two of your Akalaks. The first I gave an Akontak son too. The second my body quickened for but later lost because of the djed storm and the stress of that incident. Both men I have loved and both have been lost to me, vanished, and have not yet returned. I have asked for and been told my debt for The Sanctuary. I have paid my debt off in a timely manner. I was proud and grateful to be able to do that. Yet I have asked time and time again for the value of my debt to Riverfall and I have received no answer. No monetary value was ever placed on my life. Instead I was given to first one Talvas then another. Such things are hard on a woman, especially one such as me, who loves easily and finds she has no more strength to loose such loves." Kavala said, her words strong, projecting and

"Now I find that since I have lost the child and my Talvas is missing, there is no way to fulfill my current contract and according to the Oathmaster this means I will be 'open' and available again. I come before this Council to ask politely that I be dismissed from my Nakivak service. If I owe a monetary sum, let me pay it off other ways. I am in a place in my life where another Talvas would be destructive to my health and my body needs a great deal more rest than it was given last time if it is to ever bear any more children. I speak of this from a healer's standpoint and offer up myself for any inspection a healer of your choice might wish to make. The odds of another successful pregnancy without a significant amount of rest is very low." She said firmly, letting them know she was serious about this fact.

"I am a citizen of Riverfall. I consider this city my home. I will not move from here nor will I likely ever decide enough is enough and seek other work or another calling. The Sanctuary has been my Call from the beginning. Please release me from my Nakivak contract. I will keep seeing to it that your city kelvics are healthy and birth well, making me far more valuable as a midwife than a breeder myself. And after I have rested, odds are I will have more children. But I want them to be with the man of my choosing. And even if they are not Akalak, they will be Konti which will still be of great benefit to your city. If my debt is still too steep, let me pay it off with coin. I am sorry to come to you and request this but I am defeated inside, broken, and need time to heal." She said firmly, her resolve steadfast as she stood before them vulnerable and naked to what her emotions were doing.

What she left unsaid was plain as well. If she was to be used any longer, it would not be willingly. They would have to keep her residence in the Oathmaster's Tower where such unwilling yet debt laden women were housed. There were narrow benches with restraints where breeding took place because some Akalak preferred it that way, not wanting to or even knowing how to deal with the women who housed the wombs for their sons. Kavala knew what she was saying. Set me free. Let me pay off my debt another way. Or lock me up.

She simply hoped the Council would understand.

[Cayenne]

As she stood there before them, ten calm, stoic men sat gazing back at her, watching her every move. Her persistence had paid off - coming before them to say her piece meant they had to listen and present judgment in accordance with the tenets of the Father God. Even if, perhaps, it was something that they would rather not here. However, the abnormally pale Konti had been brought before them, and the Oathmaster’s file on Miss Kavala Denusk had preceded her. They were well-versed in her particular case, which had, it needed to be admitted, some irregularities.

Occasionally, during her speech, notes were taken down by more than one member of the council, but they did not seek to interrupt her. This wasn’t Kavala’s first rodeo with this group, after all. And for all that she was a female, she was a Nakivak, who had birthed an Akontak son who was, so far against the odds, remaining healthy. That she had birthed an Akontak with her first Talas certainly weighed not only for her, but against her. What if she could produce another under another contract? But the problem with “What ifs” were that they were only that.

The road not taken.

There was another problem in their desire to retain Kavala’s Nakivak status - she had paid her debts, taxes, and successfully fulfilled her first contract. As per the original agreement, she had completed everything they had asked for. This in itself was reason enough to see her when they could no longer avoid the facts. To them, it was as complicated as it may have seemed simple to an outsider.

Riverfall was desperate for little blue baby boys. And the storm had not helped. At all.

Nevar spoke first, his voice deep and low. "First, Miss Denusk, let me extend to you our deepest sympathies in the loss of your unborn child. It is a loss that I, and the rest of the council, feel very deeply and with much regret. The lost potential is a tragedy.” There were nods and murmurs from the other Akalak elders who sat on either side of him. The loss of a child that might have been an Akalak or Akontak was indeed a great loss that the city as a whole would feel. “We also understand that essentially your entire facility was demolished in the storm. Will you need assistance in your efforts to rebuild?” He left alone, for now, her request to be released from her bracelet and the duties the metal bangle demanded of her. He would address that in due time.