Completed Troubled Minds Troubled Waters

[Nya Winters]

Timestamp: 28th of Fall, 517 AV

Nya was lonely again. She’d spent too much time with people in the last few days and in doing so had reawakened that need all Kelvics had for people…. to please them, to serve them, to be around them. It was a nasty feeling – one wholly unwelcomed by Nya. She didn’t want to trust new people. The Kelvic cat certainly didn’t want to love anyone else, feel their emotions in her head, or seek to make their lives better.

But fighting her nature was like fighting one of Zulrav’s winds. Impossible. The cat growled, pissed, and paced up and down her claim. Moving between tents and half built structures restlessly, Nya switched between skin and fur frequently, thinking the cat form would be stronger than the human form for resisting what all these people had systematically ignited in her. It was just days…. days…. Nya had been alone a long time now. No bondmate. No husband. No need for any attachments had rode her. And now she thought of Jade vulnerable and helpless with a child and knew Nya could help her. Nya would be invaluable to her. She could protect the young mother and teach her a better life.

No.

The cat snarled and traded fur for skin. Barefoot Nya paced, lifting her head to scent the wind. A breeze tried to lure her to play, but Nya wasn’t ready for play. She was twisted all up inside mentally and her mind drifted to the man that had been with her in the water. Everything about him attracted her. His scent. His faith in his deity. He was sharp minded and had kindness in him and an honesty that she admired though it was nestled in toughness. She wanted to tear off up the beach back to the settlement and see if she couldn’t run into him… just to offer him a smile and a hello. She wanted to drag her chin down his and leave him marked with her scent to warn off other cats.

The woman growled and traded skin for fur again. It was madness, this urge, this Kelvic necessity. She hadn’t wanted anyone else in this colony. None of them needed her. But these newcomers were vulnerable. They brought things to the settlement that the settlement hadn’t had before. If only Shai had stayed with her. If only he had offered her another vow of marriage or had made any indication of wanting to bond. But he’d left her in Syka, departed for home to see his son, and the last she’d seen of him was him sailing away on The Veronica. Nya had refused to go. Aressa’s issues were close to the surface and Nya wanted to heal and learn, to use the Powercube and find the Pearl. It was the only artifact they had a clue on where it was hidden.

And here she was, where she thought she was better, stronger, physically recovering and learning new things…. but was it enough?

It wasn’t. It wasn’t by a long shot.

Nya went over to her workbench and picked up a scrap of the snakeskin. She quickly strung it into a headband for Jade’s child and gathered the bikini’s to drop off at The Mercantile. One she reserved for Jade, of a size she thought would fit the woman well. It would be a replacement for the binding she destroyed with her Kukri.

Nya finally made up her mind, dressed in a Isuas Sarong, and slipped on sandals. Then she headed up the beach north towards the Mercantile to drop off the newest things to sale. Once that was done she headed even further north, avoiding Pulren’s bungalow like the plague. It would be soooo sooo easy to see if he was home and if he wasn’t stretch out on his porch and wait for him to return, taking comfort in his scent on his bungalow porch. She wanted a bonding in a bad way, instinctively, but mentally she wasn’t sure that anyone would accept her let alone want her. Jade was the safer choice. The child would annoy her and Jade would make her angry with her ignorance and Nya would be over this urge to bond for good, like someone dunking her in ice water to snap her out of her madness. No, Nya needed to interacte with them both. Stopping at Pulren's place, Nya wasn't certain she'd ever go home.

A few chimes later Nya was knocking on a bungalow door that smelled exactly like Jade and Dina. If either one opened the door, Nya would thrust the bikini and headband at them and start to back away. She wasn’t even sure she was in the mood to stay and talk. It was hard enough holding her skin for long enough. Changing to fur in front of either of them might be too much.


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[Jade Laken]

Jade walked around under the bungalow once more getting ready to take another round of bowls up to the mercantile. She had been working on a smaller set for the business to sell. He had talked to her about making some for the tidepool bar soon. Dina played in the sand near by giggling loudly; the child had seemed to transition to their new home easily. Nya had told the mother to send her child away, but Jade was not sure that would ever be an option. The girl was hers whether from her body or not, the little lady was her heart. As she learned about their new home, the mother would teach her child how to survive. Ashka had offered to help the blonde learn to fish later on in the season. Another girl named Jay had dropped by several days before and asked for a bowl and several utensils be made.

“Mommy! Can we go play in the water?” Dina asked running up to her mother.

“Dina, I've told you. Mommy doesn't know how to swim; when we are around Ashka later on this season you play with her okay?” Jade asked with a gentle chide to her daughter.

“Aw, yes ma'am. May I play inside?” Dina pouted looking at her.

“Go on, I will be up in a minute to start baking these bowls,” Jade stated and waved her on upstairs.

The girl was in a loose shirt with nothing on under it along with a pair of shorts. Dina was still uncomfortable with the idea of women running around topless. Thankfully she was starting to slowly warm up to the idea. Putting the two bowls on a board, the blonde cleaned her hands before going upstairs. She put the board on the table and began to light the hearth. Dina played on the bed with her dolls giggling. The mother sat down working on a fire and getting the pottery moved over the flames. It would not take long for the bowls to get baked on the outside. From there she would flip them over so the inside would harden as well. A knock at the door caught her attention making the woman look up from position in front of the hearth that could be seen from the door way.

“Dina would you answer that baby?” Jade asked while standing up.

“Yes, mommy,” Dina ran over and opened the door and smiled brightly, “hi Mrs Nya!”

“Oh hello, I didn't expect to be seeing you. Please come in, Nya,” Jade said with a smile. The blonde frowned sensing something was wrong with the woman as Dina ran back to play with her toys, “are you okay? You do not look well. Can I get you something to drink?”

The woman did not know why, but the girl before her appeared to be sick. Or rather that something was plaguing her mind and would not let her be. Grabbing a towel, Jade wiped her hands off and looked at the woman gently not with pity but with concern in her gaze. The Drykas was not like the rest of her people; most would have just pushed the outsider away. But the blonde had always been more caring for those plagued by troubles and pain.

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[Nya Winters]

The child opened the door. The kelvic wanted to groan. Her lips curled up as if she considered snapping at the youth and then thought better of it. Jade joined Dina, saving Nya from direct action. In her mindset she might have …. no… she wouldn’t have... been violent but the thought was there. The woman seemed so… pleasant. It irritated Jade further. Nya was nothing to Jade. Why should she show concern or even care? Humans lied. They lied all the time – to each other – to themselves. It didn’t matter, because none of them were trustworthy.

From the glance she could see past Jade, the bungalow seemed comfortable even welcoming. And of course, Jade invited her in. Nya didn’t want to come in. She didn’t want to want to be around people at all. The pungent scent of child permeated the air. So too did the smell of earth baked hard and other things the cat was unfamiliar with. The cat wrinkled her nose, less in distaste of the smells, and more from the distaste in her mind. Even when the woman wiped off her hands, Nya wasn’t lured forward. Instead, she thrust out the outfit and headband again.

“I made you a replacement for the wrap I cut up. It’s more modest than going without.” Nya said, tossing the bikini at Jade’s feet. There was an angry tone to her voice and her mossy gaze flashed with a ferocity. “There’s a headband in there too that will fit your non-offspring. It will keep her hair out of her eyes. I thought she would like something that matched.” Her words didn’t match her demeanor though her tone did. Nya suddenly wanted to be alone, to run up the beach, to work off all this anxiety that had built up in her so suddenly.

New people were such a bad idea.

Coming down here today was a bad idea. Nya snorted, blowing the scent of Jade’s home and her and Dina’s occupation of it out of her nose. She didn’t want to be here. The kelvic shouldn’t have come. Instead she should be running from scent to scent tracking in the forest, trailing prey, or even working with her pungent leather.

“I shouldn’t have brought this today. I’m sorry disturb you. Nothing is wrong. I’ll just be going now.” The kelvic said, turning abruptly and heading for the beach. She’d take the sand south back to her claim and work out her frustrations on the number of leather projects that awaited her there. Her claim contained no people. It had no feelings and certainly no vulnerabilities that made Nya want to protect it. The breezes would talk to her, keep her company, distract her until…

Nya lifted her head and scented the ocean. There was something on the wind there, a new taste she hadn’t noticed in all her frantic mental wonderings. Abruptly she turned back to Jade, glancing over hr shoulder at the woman still standing in the doorway of her bungalow.

“There is a storm coming tonight. A big one. If it breaks along this coast the wind will get bad. Keep your little one inside.” Nya warned, huffing and drawing in more air, tasting again, this time sure that a big one was coming.

It was perfect timing. It might also explain her extreme restlessness. Tonight she’d be a minion of Zulrav. Tonight she’d gather the storm and contain it… but only if the new people like Jade and Dina stayed out of the way.

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[Jade Laken]

Jade was surprised to hear the woman talk about the binding that had been torn apart on their first official meeting. The blonde had really thought nothing about it since then. She was just running around in loose shirts that wouldn't cause any kind of rash. Walking over to close the distance some, the woman listened and moved a foot back some as the material hit the ground before her. She was very confused as to why Nya would be throwing the clothing pieces on the floor. Kneeling down some, the blonde picked them up taking a good look before heading to the door.

“Thank you Nya. I will for sure us them and so will Dina. Is there anything I can make for you in return?” Jade asked gently looking at her, “as you can probably tell I am a potter by trade right now. I still don't know much else.”

Jade was not surprised by the girl's sudden departure from her porch. Nya had not seemed to warm up to the girl. It was as if something was tormenting the woman as she paced the beach. The drykas wanted to demand answers, but it was very clear that she would not be awarded any. Instead the blond looked up to the sky when the woman before her spoke of a storm. She was confused as to how her “teacher” could tell anything would make landfall. Everything seemed clear to the girl. Shrugging some, the blond pushed the feeling away and turned back to the young woman.

“We will. Thank you for letting me know,” Jade said gently, “do let me know if there is anything I can make you in return for the bikini and head band.” The young woman walked back inside but left the door open to get a breeze going before having to close up for the night. Jade walked to where the bed was and gave Dina her head band. Laughing gently, she put it on the child who was ecstatic to have the gift. Walking over to her chest, the woman opened it while folding up her new clothing putting it away until she needed it.

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[Nya Winters]

Nya thought this was a seriously bad idea. Her gift, meant to be a payment for a garment that Nya had ruined, was not taken as such and was instead offered to be purchased by way of another craftsman making her a craft? When did it end? The Kelvic snorted to clear her nose and took another step back. “No thank you. I could tell you made stone things. My leather was a gift to repay something of yours I ruined. There is no need for a trade.” With that, Nya fled. The kelvic could tell the blond wasn’t going to heed her warning because she stared up at the sky and shrugged. Still, politeness won out and Nya was thanked again.

Gods, the woman thanked everyone for everything didn’t she? The cat growled, irritated, and broke into a loose hipped jog. She answered Jade’s last question with a half-hearted wave that seemed to say ‘Yea, I’ll think on it….” Before she was halfway up the beach and turning south towards The Commons. Nya had time before the storm rolled in to jog along the flotsam line on the sand and see if anything remotely good to eat had washed up.

No. Nothing had. At least if it had, the birds got to it long before Nya did. So she kept moving south. At Swing Beach, Nya normally turned inland and stopped by The Commons. But by that time she was so restless and grouchy that she just pressed forward until her landmark came into view.

Nya picked up her pace. Her own claim was bypassed as she raced up a very narrow trail at Treasure Beach. She moved out on the ridge, sat down, and watched the clouds in the impossible distant sky rumble forward. Not now… no…. not this bell… but in a bell or two the winds would be here. Nya was glad for it. Getting a chance to create more storm gems for James to sell in Riverfall would do the colony a whole lot of good.

So she stripped off her Sarong and traded her skin for fur and sprawled out on the point, not too close, but very alert and ready for the oncoming battle.

---------> Continued in Battling Stormwinds

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[Nya Winters]

Nya

• Experience: Tracking 1xp, Planning 1xp, Observation 2xp, Running 2xp
• Lore: Jade: Overly polite

Jade

• Experience: Childcare 2xp, Pottery 1xp, Observation 1xp, Negotiation 1xp
  
• Lores: Nya thinks she knows when storms are coming.
• Award: New Bikini, New Headband for Dina.