[Temple of Nikali] The Spider in the Temple (Lucette)

[Veldrys]

Spring 15, 511 AV Nikali was not a goddess that Veldrys had a particular interest in. His attitude towards sex was ambivalent at best. Since he had come of age, since he had become old enough to understand what was happening around him, to understand that any woman that carried his child would inevitably die, he had tried his best to kill off any desire of his. A Symenestra’s fertility was limited, and it tended to follow a lunar cycle, but as far as he was concerned a small risk always remained. He didn’t want to have any part in this. The death of his mother had been enough. It was better to pretend that he didn’t have the needs of a normal man, to dedicate himself to his research entirely and find some kind of consolation in prayer. Sometimes he was almost successful. Sometimes he succeeded in pretending that he was completely detached from the world around him, that the things that motivated them were completely foreign to him. Sometimes he almost succeeded in pretending that he didn’t need anybody, neither a lover nor a companion. And sometimes the loneliness nearly drove him mad. Even a Symenestra that had left his home and distanced himself from his Web, even a Symenestra who lived in a city where few others of his kind were sometimes wanted nothing more than somebody that understood his needs, that understood the things that moved him. Even a man such as him wanted somebody that was close to him, somebody that he could confide in. Besides, he didn’t know if Viratas, his god, approved of the fact that he was alone. All blood was valuable, and all creatures that bore blood were supposed to be protected, but on the other hand it was just as important that the bloodline continued. Did Viratas condone the deaths of those desperate Symenestra mothers, the deaths of the surrogates? Was that the price that the Symenestra had to pay for their continued existence? Or did his god have no part in this and would reward the one that found a way for the Symenestra to exist without bloodshed? He had to know. And he also had to find out if those that worked at the Temple of Nikali could provide a man such as him, a Symenestra whose kiss was venomous and who had spent most of his life alone, with a bit of guidance. There was a part of him that despised men and women that received so much pleasure from serving others and fullfilling their needs – to him freedom was one of the most valuable things - but another, bigger part of him believed that they would be able to provide him with a unique insight and make everything a little easier to bear. Lucette would find him the entrance to the temple, looking strangely hesitant. She would likely notice that he was different from the humans that she was used to. He was tall and slender, almost too slender with limbs that were slightly too long and hands that ended in black nails. His features were fine rather than angular as a human man’s tended to be, and he was pale. He seemed to be entirely lacking color, apart from a pair of bright amethyst eyes. He was dressed in a robe that marked him as somebody that served Viratas, the Blood God.

[Lucette]

The Cheetah slunk low along one back wall as the man walked through the Temple’s entrance. Her soft ears flicked forward in interest. This man was different from the others that had previously entered the building. Intently, sharp eyes studied the disproportionate arms and the somber robes, and her head lowered on her elongated neck as her black spotted ears flattened in response. Her powerful nose lifted; this man did not smell like the other men either, but of cold earth, though the scent was faint. Slowly she approached, and cautiously. The Kelvic did not know what he was, but she knew he was less human than she. Not hiding from him, she stared into his amethyst eyes and her senses flared in warning. Lucette was not a fighter, but all the same her feline appearance could be daunting to someone who did not know her well. Lucette’s non retractable claws clipped on the floor as she circled wide, taking in the odd scent of him. At his back, the Kelvic burst into a rainbow shimmer of twinkling lights that ended with her standing behind him in her human form, palely naked, though not as pale as the man. Her dress had been discarded sometime before her transformation. The man was taller than she, and one gentle hand lifted to touch his shoulder, lightly, almost suggestively, “Why do you wait in the doorway?” She inquired, to young still to understand that he might not wish to discuss such things. “Everyone is inside…” she purred, and her hand slid along his shoulder blade, offering to guide him in. Touch to the Kelvic was an everyday occurrence. Her life had been one never ending continual sensation, it was her nature to touch and feel. Sensations and pleasures. Smell. Touch. Sight. Sounds. All more powerful within the Cheetah than the girl. And if this odd man was here in Nikali’s Temple… he must be here for the same reason as every other who walked through the Temple doors. “Your needs will be met.” She assured him with a small smile. Lucette did not know what this man needed; perhaps it would have been better if someone marked by Nakali had spoken to him. And unmarked as she was, Lucette had no way of knowing. Neither, did the Kelvic know what he was, or what he was capable of. She only knew there was something different and unique about the man. Curiosity bid her closer, as she inspected him. “You do not smell like the others…” she said, but it was not in judgment. The girl was only beginning to find her way herself in this new environment, her new home. Justus had not pushed her, instead he let her become used to the ways of the Temple, and she was slowly becoming accustomed to it. She tried to help, to serve Justus and the Temple as she had Roland, but she was still learning and unaware of the Symenestra’s inner conflicts. Touch and closeness, even if only in a purely physical sense was all she knew. It shown in the way she moved, and carried herself, and watched with her almost unbreakable gaze. It was obvious, she belonged in the Temple, though she carried no god’s mark.

[Veldrys]

As he slowly walked into the temple he almost felt as if he were being watched for a moment, as if there was somebody there, hiding in the shadows, slinking along the walls – or something, some strange creature that normally couldn’t be found in buildings such as this one. He waited for a moment, wondering if his mind played tricks on him, wondering if a priest or priestess would approach him. He was almost about to turn back - and then he saw her. His eyes widened. He raised his hands, as if to signal her to stop, but what she could smell from him wasn’t exactly fear. He was curious about her and vaguely cautious. He had never seen such a large cat before. Unlike many of his brethren, Veldrys was not a hunter. He had rarely used his claws to cause harm, had rarely used his venom on a living being. He had always been a largely peaceful man, a healer, a follower of Viratas that considered all those that bore blood to be valuable. He didn’t know what to make of her, didn’t know how to deal with her. She behaved a little differently from what he expected an animal to behave. Her actions seemed more controlled. „What are you?“ he whispered in heavily accented Common. „Do you belong to this temple? To the priests?“ He expected her to growl, to wag her tail in irritation or pur – he almost expected somebody to take her away – but he had never expected what happened next. As the cat disappeared behind him, he turned around – he wanted to see what she was doing – but the cat was gone. As he felt a hand on his shoulder, he shuddered, and then he looked at her. „Kelvic“, he whispered in sudden understanding. He had been taught that Kelvic were strange, inferior – even humans such as the one whose form she took now would be considered inferior by most of his kind - but he couldn’t stop looking at her, at all that flawless, naked skin. Her beauty didn’t leave him entirely unaffected. He held his breath for a moment. As she spoke, he abruptly pulled his gaze away. „I was waiting for somebody that serves Nikali. Are you her priestess?“ he wanted to know. He knew nothing of the goddess, but he didn’t consider it entirely impossible that such a sensual creature would serve her. As he felt her hand slide along his shoulder blade, he stiffened for a moment, but then he let her guide him inside. Touch, any kind of physical proximity was something that the Symenestra had problems with, despite the fact that he often yearned for it, more than for most other things in this world. For a man of his race it was never entirely safe. „What do you know of my needs?“ he asked as she assured him that his needs would be met. „What do you know of my desires, of my pain? Do you think you can help me? Do you think you can make it go away?“ „I’m not like the others“, he answered as she mentioned his smell. „I’m not like them, not of their kind. Do you know what I am, Kelvic?“ His voice was soft, almost gentle, with only the tiniest hint of bitterness. He didn’t call her Kelvic to insult her. He simply had no other way to adress her.

[Lucette]

With the softest of touches, Lucette led the man by the arm. She moved lightly, nudging him, naked and feather-soft at his side. Then just as smoothly the Kelvic slid easily away, and between them was an empty space where delicious contact had just been. The human looking girl gestured to one of the Temple’s opulent couches and Lucette lounged upon it, long legs folded comfortably beneath her. “Please sit…” she said, and more than a request or a question lay in the words. Curiosity ran through her veins, the man intrigued her. The Kelvic leaned towards him, body close. Lucette had no sense of personal space and began to move ever closer, but an observant attendant interrupted her, bringing the misplaced dress. As the garment was draped softly over white shoulders, the Kelvic easily slipped her arms through the silken sleeves and gave the attendant a beautiful smile, “You’re welcome Lucette,” the attendant said before leaving the two alone once more. Forgetting to secure the simple clasp, the fabric hung flowing about her as its two sides failed to meet at the front, leaving a modest strip of skin exposed. But the gap only seemed highlight what had been bare only moments before. “Roland sold me,” she said suddenly, as if Veldrys had known the man. Sadness shone in Lucette’s gaze, but also understanding and acceptance. Others had always decided her fate; that was the way the Kelvic’s world worked; her life had never been her own. “I am Nikali’s now… though I carry no mark.” She was only beginning to learn what Nikali’s mark meant from the others at the Temple. And Lucette was envious of their contentment, their purpose. Her head bowed, and her shifting hair fell to cover her face in soft waves. “Does this disappoint you? …I could find you a priestess instead.” Her big eyes lifted with a curiosity that never seemed to leave, and her head cocked, willing to listen even if his answer held disappoint for her. Before the man could reply, the girl answered his earlier question with surprising innocence, “You have needs, otherwise you would not have come. Though I do not know what they are…” she looked away embarrassed, but her long fingered hand found his arm once more and her nails moved teasingly along its surface, “No” she said simply, “I can not help you or make anything go away.” she looked genuinely remorseful. “I haven’t the skill. Though for a time I could help you to… forget.” Lucette’s lashes were long, and her eyes shone bright. She was an animal tamed, yet there was a wildness to her that was easily sensed. Her mind gave no concern nor thought to the offer she made. Lucette knew no better; she had been trained to please. Besides others in the temple offered far, far more than she… Though the man stiffened at her touch, she leaned against him, her body at once solid, primal, and always physically aware. “No,” she answered again. “I do not know what you are… Are you different… like me?” She said hopefully, putting her limited knowledge to use without understanding. Her nostrils flared. “Do you have a name? An owner?”

[Veldrys]

Lucette‘s touch was gentle and feather-light, and yet it seemed strangely intense to the Symenestra who had never been so close to one of her kind before, who’d tried his best to stiffle any desire of his. He couldn’t stop looking at her, simply couldn’t pull his gaze away. As she slid away from him he felt empty, as if he were missing something for a moment despite the fact that being in such close proximity to her made him umcomfortable – two completely contradictory feelings. As she asked him to sit, he did so with little hesitation. There wass something graceful about the way the Symenestra moved as well, although he would never be able to match the cat to whom such things seemed to be as natural as breathing. Again she was so close to him that he would only have to extend his hands a little to touch her, as if the concept of personal space was completely foreign to her or she just didn’t care. He didn’t know whether he should move away from her or act as if the situation was completely normal for him. The attendant that brought her a dress was a welcome distraction and gave him a moment to think, although the silken garment did little to hide the Kelvic’s body. „Roland?“ He raised his head abruptly and looked into her eyes. Confusion marred his pale face for a moment. „I do not know anybody by the name of Roland, although no man should have the right to sell another being, be they human or kelvic.“ His voice was soft and gentle as he said this. She had seemed so sad when she had mentioned that she had been sold. „It doesn’t matter that you do not carry her mark“, he decided after a moment of silence. „You have the appearance of a priestess. You act like one. I would prefer if you stayed.“ She seemed so curious about him, as if she had never seen a Symenestra before. It was a welcome change from the hateful looks, the insults, the violence with which people usually reacted to his appearance. „Do you want to know what I need?“ he whispered as she admitted that she didn’t know what his needs were. „Can you do that? Help me forget?“ This time the Symenestra didn’t stiffen under her touch, but seemed to welcome it and leaned closer to her so that she could almost feel his breath against her skin. If she couldn’t make the pain go away, then making him forget that things would never be normal for him was an acceptable alternative. Whatever offer she had made, it seemed to have been accepted. „I am different, but not like you“, he answered. „I’m even less human than you are. In fact I’m not human at all, although I can make myself look like one sometimes. I’m a Symenestra.“ As he spoke, she could see a hint of elongated canines, as if there was something animalistic about him as well, as if they weren’t really that different from each other after all. „They call me Veldrys.“ As she asked him if he had an owner, he made a face for a moment, as if he found the very idea of being owned by somebody offensive, but the look disappeared again within the fraction of a second. „No“, he answered. „I don’t have an owner. The only one that owns me and my soul is my god.“

[Lucette]

Lucette decided in her mind that Veldrys was not so different from her after all. His long canine teeth did not frighten her, and the Cheetah within the Kelvic appreciated and responded favorably to them. Blinking slowly, she watched as he moved with a grace that was familiar and fitting to her animalistic mind. The man moved closer, though she did not mind. But at his words, and at his apparent disregard for slaves, she frowned. It was a soft, yet pretty gesture as her lips pouted. The man did not understand. “Veldrys, it is the Kelvic’s place…” she explained, repeating ideas that Roland had raised her with during his ownership of her, “…to be owned and taken care of. If I had no owner, who would look after me? I could not do it. The world is too large…” Lucette looked up at him from beneath long, lowered lashes. Her world was small, and her world was contained, and the ideas she spoke came from within her very narrow experiences. With pleasant hopefulness, she said, “Perhaps you would also be happier if you had an owner? Someone to look after you? And care for you.” Her legs were curled beneath her, and a strand of brown hair had caught against her lips as she spoke. The fingertips resting on his arm moved up to settle upon his shoulder, where she drew small circles on his shirt. “Nikali looks after her own. Does your god not also do this? You do not seem to be at peace…” His breath was upon her skin, and the touch of it ignited her senses. The man’s strangely colored gaze was as calm as his voice was gentle. Lucette spoke into his ear, “Let me care for you… for a time, while you are here. Then you will know what it feels like to have no worries… and perhaps you will see it is not such a terrible thing to be needed and wanted.” Lucette was open with her feelings, and it was easy to see she believed her words wholeheartedly. “I would help you to see with other eyes… and other senses.”

[Veldrys]

As Lucette pouted, Veldrys looked confused. It almost seemed to him as if she didn’t mind that she had been a slave, but how could that be? How could any woman willingly put herself into such a position? How could anybody not want to be free? „I don’t know anything about Kelvics“, he murmurred. „I only know that you exist and that you are different. But why? Why do you want to be owned? Freedom, independence, is something that can be learned. I could show you the world. I could show you what it is like not to depend on another being for everything.“ He had made the offer almost automatically. Lucette’s mindset was completely foreign to him. He couldn’t understand it, no matter how hard he tried, because it was the opposite of everything that he believed in. Part of him wanted to comfort her because she had never known freedom, to take her by the hand and explain the world to her. Despite her beautiful, feminine body she almost seemed like a lost girl to him for a moment, innocent, unaware of the things that happened outside the temple, of what the world was really like. „I don’t need an owner“, he replied and shook his head. „I don’t think I could be a slave. I’ve never been a slave and wouldn’t know how to act. I’ve been free for all the twenty-one years of my life. I want a partner, a mate. I want to be somebody’s equal, and I want that person to be my equal as well. I’d rather take care of somebody than be taken care of.“ He fell silent as he felt her fingers move up his arm. It suddenly occured to him that he hadn’t really spoken the truth. He had never been owned by somebody, but in a way he had been a slave as well, of his people’s traditions, forced to meet their expectations, of his own, sometimes narrowminded views. „I’ve never really been at peace“, he whispered. He raised his hand and touched hers, so that his hand covered her smaller one. As she asked him to let her care for him, he raised his head and looked into her eyes abruptly. He almost decided against accepting her offer after all, but then he hesitated. She seemed so convinced that it wouldn’t be a bad thing. She seemed to believe what she was saying with all her heart. „Care for me then“, he asked her. „Make me see the world with other eyes and other senses. Let me know what it feels like to have no worries.“

[Lucette]

“But…I am happy here,” Lucette explained. “Why does your freedom not give you such happiness? Why would I trade one for the other? I do not understand… peace I have as a slave, yet you do not, even with your freedom…” Veldrys could show her the world, he said. It was a daunting thought to the sheltered Kelvic. “And then you would be my owner?” she questioned, “If I were to go with you?” It was difficult to understand, he spoke so strangely about things she thought she knew. “I will care for you,” she agreed, aware that his hand had moved to cover her own. Her chin lifted, and her eyes held his as he looked at her. Lucette allowed him the time to see what he needed to see. Pleased, she looked away, “Then you will know… it is not such a terrible thing, the giving of the self.” The Kelvic stood then, still holding his hand, the motion from sitting to rising effortless and smooth. “Please, wait here,” she said huskily, as she slowly drew her hand away from his. Lucette glided away, moving silently on bare feet between the other occupants of the Temple, only to disappear behind them. After a short time, she returned, laden with a stylized, silver platter,filled with wine and fruits, and meats. It did not occur to her that his feeding habits could be different than her own. Again, she sat, closer now. Any sense of personal space gone as their thighs brushed intimately. Picking up the decanter, Lucette poured a small measure of the rich amber liquid into two small glasses. Her long fingers then wrapped around the first glass, and as she watched him with her inhuman gaze, she willed him to accept these new offerings. The girl raised the glass and drank a small sip from it first, wetting her lips. Arms close to her body, she then held the wine glass to touch upon his lips, “Drink Veldyrs. Taste.”

[Veldrys]

„I don’t know“, Veldrys replied. „I should be happy, shouldn’t I?“ A bitter laughter escaped his lips. „I don’t really know why you should trade your peaceful life for what I have. I’ve been told from an early age on that freedom is one of the highest goods. I’ve been told that everybody should be free. My people keep no real slaves ...“ There were only the surrogates, a desperate way to combat the fact that their population was ever dwindling, a way to save a people that was constantly facing extinction. Their imprisonment was only temporary, before death released them. They didn’t have to spend decades as somebody’s property at least. His voice trailed off as he came to the realization that he couldn’t answer her question. Why did his freedom not give him happiness? Why did she, who was a slave and had never experienced the world, seem so content? What was wrong with the world that a slave could be so much happier than a man that was free to explore the world? „I wouldn’t be your owner“, he corrected her. „I would be your companion, your guide.“ That was all he said because it was obvious that she had no interest in leaving. In a way he envied her, despite the fact that he couldn’t understand her wanting to be a slave. She knew her place in this world. She was content with what little she had and didn’t constantly feel the need to fight against things that were impossible to change anyway. As she told him to wait, he waited. That she would return with a platter full of food and drinks was a little unexpected, and he nearly told her that he didn’t eat meat, that he couldn’t even digest it, but then he let it be. That revelation could wait. Instead he simply accepted the wine glass she had drunk from a moment ago and raised it to his lips. He took a slow, careful sip and then another one, and then he faced her again, the glass still in his hands, almost as if he had forgotten that he was holding it.

[Lucette]

“But if it were so – where would you guide me…? To a new home? And… you would find happiness there, in that place?” Lucette asked, not understanding wanderlust. “Are all your people lonely then, as you are? Without slaves?” Lucette’s ever intent eyes changed, and as she studied the Symnestra with an appraising look she said, “But yet they must be very strong… and capable, to not need them.” And fierce she thought. Fierce! Though in his reserved politeness, the Kelvic could not see it. A people without slaves… Lucette tried to imagine such a world. She listened and pushed her mind to understand. But without Nakali’s mark, she had not the means to truly know what drove him. The girl could only guess what Veldrys needed, and naively assumed she knew. Still there was a part of her that sensed there was something more about him, something she could not yet comprehend. She followed the wine glass as Veldrys sipped the liquid, and then his throat as he swallowed. And as the fragile glass descended, her gaze went with it to rest upon his long nails. Reaching out, with lightest of touches, Lucette ran her finger tips over the length of his fingers to end along the sharp nails. Her senses flared as she reached the pointy tips, her soft skin almost pricked by the sharpness. Feline nature approved, and hypnotically she raised her eyes once more, lifting long lashes from her pale skin. His calmness enfolded her, and spoke to her languid nature. Lucette’s instinct replied and she wanted to brush bodily against him. Time moved slowly on the cushioned couch, but Lucette did not mind. In the Temple, there was time for everything. A space surrounded them, a space Lucette made unashamedly her own. The Kelvic wanted to share her world of flesh with Veldrys as much as he wished for her to understand the world of freedoms. Lifting a cube of meat, red and succulent from the platter, Lucette made the offering to him. Lightly almost reverently she held the tender morsel carefully between her thumb and finger. Her lips parted, and from where the dress lay across her, it was easy to see Lucette’s breathing change into something headier, fuller. The delicacy inched towards his lips, “A man must eat, as well as drink…”