Closed Honoring Debts (Waisana)

[Lian Windrunner]

Timestamp: 1st Day of Summer, 514, AV It was hot. Brutally hot. Such things were to be expected this time of year, but Lian couldn't help but look forward to the summer rains that would bring some relief. It was hard to want to do anything when it was this hot. Moving around only made it feel worse. So Lian did what any man in his position would do...use any means available to escape the heat for a while. For Lian, that meant making himself as comfortable as possible, and allowing his mind to slip into the Web. Once there, the physical sensations of the body faded away to a dull, barely noticable reminder that he was still tied to a body. There was no such thing as too hot or too cold in the Web. It was always just right. Weather didn't really exist in the Web. There was no rain, or snow. The temperature remained mostly the same regardless of what time of year it was. While one could run into a cold spot of sorts, that was one of the indications of damage to the Web, not an affect of the seasons, or an echo of the weather in the physical world. Lian didn't have a set task to perform in the Web, so he indulged in simple exploration. He flew through the glowing blue strands, and tried to recognize landmarks that he had seen in the physical world. They weren't actual landmarks so much as places he had been to. Like the stream where he had an unexpected encounter with a buck last fall. As he explored, he took note of areas that held dangerous predators. Nightlions, and glassbeaks were the most dangerous, of course, but a large pack of wild dogs, or wolves could be just as dangerous if they got too close to the city. While he found a lot of predators in his search, none were close enough to the city to be a threat...at the moment, at least. Out of curiosity, Lian sought out Seirei's presence in the Web, and examined it closely when he tired of simple exploration. She was firmly a part of the Web now, as Lian knew she would be since he himself had tied her into the Web. But examining her connection to the Web gave him an excuse to stay a bit longer. From within the Web, Seirei's presence was the same as any Drykas's would be. After a full season, there was nothing to show that she hadn't been a part of the Web since birth. Well, almost nothing. A true Drykas had little...trailers, little threads tying them to their parents and siblings. This made it possible to tell who was related to who quite easily if you knew what to look for. But it only worked if one's relatives were still alive. So even that wasn't a true indication. Lian knew that he himself didn't have any threads connecting himself to anyone else. His own family were all dead. To a Webber who didn't know any better, Seirei could be a Drykas who had lost their family as so many others had. As Lian studied Seirei's presence, he noticed something strange. She had a very faint, nearly non-existant thread tying her to him. Lian frowned as he tried to think of why such a thing might be possible. He knew that a husband and wife often formed bonds that were visible in the Web as a faint thread. But Seirei wasn't his wife. He was breeding her, but none of the emotional ties that bound a husband and wife together existed between them. Love, friendship, respect, commitment, trust...they had none of that. Surely the relationship of captor and captive wasn't strong enough to create a tie that was visible in the Web. So what had caused this one? Closer examination of Seirei's presence allowed Lian to discover a faint echo within her presence. Had that been there when he tied her into the Web? Lian didn't think it had been. He would have noticed such a strange abormality if it had been. What had caused it? Lian found himself to be intrigued by the mystery. He promised himself that he would keep close tabs on it, and examine his captive's presence every time he entered the Web until he figured out what it meant. But for now, it was time to return. Lian allowed his mind to slip back into his body. Instantly, the intense, choking heat hit him like a physical force. He tried unsuccessfully to ignore it as he stretched, and ate a quick meal to replenish the energy he had expended while in the Web. As he ate, he studied his captive intently, but there were no signs of what might have caused the abnormality he had seen in her presence. He hadn't really expected there to be any, but searching for something allowed him to put off what he needed to do for a few more minutes. Finally, there were no more excuses. No more delays. Lian had already waited longer than he should have to visit the Healing tents, and seek out the healer who had helped Seirei with her injured shoulder last spring. So with a reluctance he wished he didn't feel, Lian left to settle his debt. Lian walked slowly towards the Healing tents. The choking heat had as much to do with his slow pace as his reluctance did. Walking quickly simply took more energy than he had in this draining heat. The summer rains can't come quickly enough. he grumbled to himself. When he arrived, he looked around in search of someone who worked there. Once he found someone, he asked them where he could find Waisana. As he asked, he hoped he had remembered the name correctly. But he must have because the young man he asked seemed to know exactly who he was talking about. The young man offered to take him to the healer he was looking for rather than simply giving him directions, and Lian took him up on his offer. Lian followed the younger man through the crowd at a leisurely pace. When they reached Waisana, Lian noticed that she looked to be about Seirei's age. Perhaps a bit older. Seirei had visited this healer more than once. Was it because of injuries, or had his captive found a friend in the healer? "My name is Lian Windrunner." he said when the healer was ready to listen. "I don't need the services of a healer, but you saw a woman named Seirei a few times a while back. I'm the girl's...Seirei lives with me. I apologize for waiting so long, but I've come to come to an agreement of what I owe for your services. What would you consider a fair payment for seeing to Seirei's injuries?" Lian's words were more blunt that he'd planned. But the heat was getting to him, expected or not. And it made him feel irritable and out of sorts. Hopefully the healer would realize this, and not take offense.

[Waisana]

The heat in the tents brought out some of the more unsavoury odours that resided there. The aroma of herbs couldn't mask the smell of urine, faeces and blood. The healers did their best to keep the tents clean but there was only so much they could do when there was constant threat of contamination again. The tents also reeked of sweat, something that was to be expected in such a confined space in such temperatures. It wasn't a pleasant working environment but then treating the sick and injured wasn't always a pleasant job.

Waisana was covered in blood nearly up to her elbow after helping a more senior healer with an operation. It was something that she could assist in given her fairly limited skills but which she couldn't have performed alone. Despite the fact that she was only assisting, she'd gotten incredibly messy. Blood spattered the protective rags that had been placed over her clothing and droplets of it had even dried onto her face. Cleaning up was a priority but she'd had to wait patiently for a chance to use some partly stained water to scrub the blood from her skin.

Her hands splashed water up her arms, rubbing at the stains until the water in the basin became more rusty in colour. It took more scrubbing to take the blood from the lines of her palms but she could not get it completely out of her nail beds or from beneath her nails. She didn't attempt to take the small smears from her face either, not keen on the idea of splashing bloody water on her face. Putting it on her arms was one thing but she didn't want to risk getting it in her eyes, nose or mouth.

Once she was reasonably clean, the teen dried herself off and stepped away to allow someone else a chance to wash themselves. The girl had hardly moved more than a few steps away before she spotted Relaren. The young man was heading her way, another man following behind him although she hardly noticed him. Relaren was the one who held her attention and so she tried to remain calm as he approached. He wasn't necessarily coming to speak to her although he certainly seemed to have his eye on her as he came closer. The teen inclined her head in his direction, making a sign of greeting as he came close. He returned the gesture before indicating the man behind him. The Drykas girl's heart sank in disappointment. This man was the one who'd wanted to talk to her as Relaren made clear as he disappeared back the way that he'd come. Waisana regarded the newcomer curiously all the same.

This man had wanted to talk to her specifically and she had no idea why. A quick visual examination didn't turn up any obvious signs of injury and she'd never seen him before. Why would he come looking for her of all people? The teen remembered the way some young men had almost been throwing themselves at her recently and mentally cringed at the idea that this man was another one. She couldn't deal with another one or she was bound to crack and do something drastic. There was no reason to jump to conclusions though so she smiled at the man and tried to appear as friendly and helpful as possible. It didn't take much effort to do, despite her wariness of what his intention might be. She just had to remind herself that this could be a patient for her to look after or someone who wanted her to make a pavilion call. The smile cracked and withered when he gave his name. It wasn't even something that she could force. Her facial muscles had suddenly become slack and unresponsive as she tried to force them back into position.

She knew who this man was now and she wished that he wasn't standing in front of her. He was a monster in her eyes, a man who would use and abuse a woman, leave her battered and bruised. This was the man that Seirei lived with. His words confirmed what she already knew and his manner made her dislike him even more than she had before this meeting. Her expression hardened. Nobody was going to be so short with her and expect to get away from it. She would give as good as she got.

"Oh I'm aware of who you are, Windrunner, or I should say what you are." Her hand gestures were short, conveying disgust and anger. "I saw what you did to her! How dare you come in here so long after I treated her like it was something that just slipped your mind! I didn't forget and I'm sure she didn't. If you want to repay me then don't injure her again." The Drykas turned away from him, not willing to give him a moment more of her time. Her face was flushed from anger but it quickly heated with embarrassment as she realised that she'd drawn a lot of attention to herself. Those around her had stopped what they were doing to stare at her, surprised no doubt by the usually quiet girl making a scene. Waisana averted her eyes from the curious and judging gazes and began to walk away from Lian. If he was that desperate to try to pay her off then he'd follow but he wasn't likely to receive any kinder treatment than before.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian's eyes widened in surprise at the healer's tone in both voice, and gesture. She knew who he was? How? To his knowledge, he had never seen her in her capacity as a healer before. In fact, he had never seen her before today. He was a fairly healthy man who didn't take needless risks with his health, and had his Webbing to help him avoid trouble out in the Sea of Grass while hunting. As a result, he had little reason to seek out the Healing Tents. Paying closer attention to the girl's words gave him answers. But anger rose to replace his surprise. This healer must be one of the people who were...soft when it came to the captives. Or naive. Or both. Did she think, as some seemed to, that the captives would happily turn their backs on everything they once knew once they had been "adopted" into new families? That the women would happily submit to complete strangers, and allow themselves to be bred like livestock willingly and without protest? Of course they wouldn't. When Waisana dismissed him like an errant bug, and started to walk away, Lian was tempted to simply let her go, and be done with it. And yet...he couldn't. In his eyes, that would be accepting charity. It would be one thing to accept charity if he truly needed it. But he didn't, and pride kept him from doing so now. So he followed Waisana. As he did so, he struggled to contain his anger at the situation he found himself in. He was going to negotiate a suitable payment, and settle his debts with the Healer...whether she liked it or not. Besides, the girl really did have a good point. Lian shouldn't have waited anywhere near as long as he had to settle payment. So for that, she had every right to be angry with him. Lian's first impulse was to grab her shoulder, and bring an end to this unpleasant encounter sooner by forcing the situation and getting the negotioation over with. But given her anger at the way he treated his captive, she wasn't likely to react at all well if he were to touch her. So he followed her instead. Sooner or later she would likely realize that she wouldn't be rid of Lian until their business was concluded properly.

[Waisana]

The glimpse of surprise that she'd seen when she'd spoken back to him at first fuelled her anger. Had he truly been surprised that she knew who he was, or had it been the way that she'd reacted? It disgusted her that he seemed to think that his behaviour was all right, that her disgust and indignation was strange. She was right to dismiss him, to refuse to give him her attention but he didn't seem willing to accept the cold shoulder. He followed her. She saw him as a flicker of movement in her eye when her head turned, a step directly behind her that was quick and never moved away. At first, the teen thought that she was imagining it, that it was only a consequence of the adrenaline pumping through her veins, making her senses hypersensitive.

A few ticks too long of such awareness and she had to look behind her to see for certain. The glance confirmed it but she still endeavoured to ignore him. So he was likely to follow her around until he regained her attention, or grew bored. Well if he thought that she would give in easily then he was mistaken. The healer would go about her business and she'd see just how long his resolve and determination would last.

She moved to where a patient was bedridden, kept in the tents for observation. The teen remembered that the man had had a high fever and that he was being watched and looked after until it broke. The healer reached his bedside and checked him over. He was covered in damp cloths in an attempt to keep him cool but a quick check showed that the cloths had grown warm from the contact with the patient. She took them off one by one and went to immerse them in cold water. Each cloth was immersed and squeezed out and still Lian dogged her. She carried the damp material back and put it back onto the man's skin, aware of Lian's eyes on her the whole time. His presence had begun to make her feel a little uncomfortable but she continued to go about various tasks, even conversing with other healers. She could have asked someone to have him put out for obstructing her in some way but he really wasn't doing anything.

After a few chimes, his tailing made her more and more uneasy. He was beginning to frighten her. She had thought that she could hold out but she'd been wrong. She was starting to see him as a force to be reckoned with, formidable, intimidating. She was remembering the damage that he had done to Seirei and had begun to fear for herself. He'd be unlikely to touch her while there were so many witnesses but she still knew what he was capable of doing. If he grew angry with her and there was no way for him to act upon his frustration upon her then he may well take it out on Seirei. She didn't want that to happen and so she finally gave in. She moved to one side of the pavilion and turned to him, shuffling uncomfortably.

"Speak." Her word was curt, a sharp command. She was not pleased to be giving in. Giving in didn't mean that it was necessary for her to be polite. He could speak to her but she didn't have to be civil. It didn't matter that he was older than her. As far as she was concerned, she didn't have to show him respect as he obviously seemed to think he deserved. He wouldn't have followed her around if he didn't think that he had a right to her attention after all.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian's irritation rose again when the Healer kept him waiting for quite some time as she went on her rounds. He watched impatiently as she saw to a patient who appeared to be bedridden with a fever of some sort. Seeing the man made him uneasy since he had lost both of his siblings to illness. But before Lian's discomfort level could rise to the point where he gave up and went home, the Healer finished tending to the sick man, and moved on to the next task. Determination kept Lian following the younger woman as she performed a number of tasks, and spoke to several different Healers. Pure stubborn determination. He wanted to pay his debts, and be done with it. That didn't stop him for feeling a bit like a stalker as he followed her, though. When the Healer finally moved to one side of the pavilion, and commanded him to speak like a disobediant dog, he very nearly bit her head off with a scathing retort. But with a force of will, he forced his anger back to more tolerable levels. "Look. I don't especially want to be here any more than you obviously want me to be here. But I owe you a debt, and I intend to pay it. Surely we can negotiate a reasonable payment like civilized people, so we can both get on with our lives?" Lian was quite pleased that little of the irritation he felt could be heard in his voice. "You mentioned not hurting Seirei as a way of paying you. But that isn't feasable. I get it. You're soft when it comes to the captives. Sympathetic to their situation. Many people are. But let's be realistic. Do you really think that the women we captured are happy to give up their lives, and everything they knew so they could be sold at auction, and bred like livestock so we can increase our numbers after losing so many to the illness last summer? Do you think they're willing to submit to complete strangers so they can be bred? Of course they aren't. They fight their fate. They have to be subdued before they can be bred. Seirei fights me whenever I try to do my duty to our people. I don't blame her for doing so...I'd probably fight too if I was a girl and in her position. But the result of her fighting is that she gets hurt. I punish her for fighting in the hopes that she will give up, and submit. But she never does, and so the cycle continues. Unfortunately it's a cycle where she is going to get hurt." Lian paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I'm not proud of hurting the girl. I don't get any pleasure out of causing her pain. But my duty to our people as an unmarried man is to take a captive, and sire children for our people. And that is exactly what I will do. If Seirei doesn't submit, then she will get hurt in the process. It's that simple." Lian frowned, his irritation starting to rise once more. "Look. I give her what freedom I can. She is allowed to go wherever she pleases during the day so long as she's back before it starts to get dark, and she doesn't attempt to run away. I don't keep her tied up, or anything like that. Seirei knows that she will be punished if she resists me, and she chooses to do so anyway. I don't blame her for doing so, but her defiance has consequences. Should she ever truly embrace our people and become Drykas herself, then things would change. Of course, that seems highly unlikely." Lian shook his head. "I owe you for taking care of Seirei. And I apologize for taking so long to seek you out to settle my debt. What would you consider to be a fair payment for your services?" There was sincerity in his voice as he apologized to the Healer. There were also notes of impatience in the rest of his words. He wanted to pay his debts, and be done with this situation once and for all.

[Waisana]

Her lack of civility had angered him. She could see the anger and irritation in his eyes but was surprised to find that it din't seep into Lian's voice. As he reiterated his desire to negotiate payment, the healer looked on impassively. If he expected her to be civil then he was stupid. Surely her treatment of him thus far should have been a fair indication of how she was going to continue to act towards him. He was stubborn though and civility aside, he was likely to just wait for her to do things his way no matter how rude she was to him.

The mention of Seirei made her stiffen, no longer expressionless. She could hardly breathe as she wondered if he would truly agree to stop hurting Seirei. Except that the teen wasn't naive enough to believe that he'd do such a thing. He proved her right, trying to reason with her, explain away his actions but it only angered her further. She was soft? Being sympathetic towards their plight was being soft? Her nostrils flared, her eyes narrowing as she regarded him. How dare he! How stupid was he, how blind to not realise that he was causing more harm than good? Her fury stopped her from speaking. Unable to even spit out words indignantly. It was the girl's fault that she was being raped and beaten by some strange man. It was her own fault! She wanted to hurt him in some way, give him a taste of his own medicine. She hadn't even known that she had the capacity to harm someone but she certainly felt like she could now.

Waisana let him talk, let him stoke her fires as she thought about exactly what she'd say in reply to his justifications. She could be calm about this, could control her emotions enough to put forward a counter-argument. At least that's what she told herself. She could try to even up her breathing, keep it level but once she began to speak, she couldn't keep the emotion out of her voice.

"Do you truly believe that she'd want to become one of us after the way she's been treated? How must we seem to her? Barbarians, people who treat women like livestock? What treatment has she received at your hands? Has she been shown kindness, mercy? Has she been treated like a person with feelings? Or has she been dropped into a place where her treatment seems to be all right? Do you truly think that she would want to bear your children? Do you not think that there are ways for women to damage themselves? To lose a child, to not be able to bear them ever again."

All of her thoughts were being spewed out, everything that she'd thought about recently as she worried about the girl, anxiously awaiting her next visit when they could determine for sure whether she was pregnant or not.

"Did it ever occur to you that showing kindness in the beginning would get you further in the long run? You could have waited. You could have taught her about us, taught her our ways, explained things, in time she would have grown to trust you, become comfortable around you. It can work. I knew a captive who came to be all right with her situation. She tried to run away once she found out she was pregnant, afraid of what her child would grow up in but she grew to like her captor. He didn't abuse her daily, didn't rape her or punish her so why did it work for him? Perhaps if you'd taken the time, no the bother, to get to know her, to understand things from her point of view then you might not have to put up with the defiance that so disagrees with you."

She looked at him with distaste before sighing and trying to deal with the matter at hand. If she negotiated with him then he'd go away. "But you came here to offer me something in payment and I want you gone as soon as possible so what have you got to offer me?"

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian's eyes narrowed in irritation. He took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking so he wouldn't lash out without thinking. "Of course I don't think the girl will ever become one of us. Most of them probably won't. We shouldn't expect them to. I don't think that she wants to bear my children, either. That doesn't mean that she isn't going to. What she wants doesn't matter where her use as a breeder is concerned. Seirei will spend the rest of her life bearing children for the Drykas people...whether she likes it or not. She has no say in that. What she does have control over is how much pain she experiences while she is being bred, and what the quality of her life will be other than being bred." It honestly hadn't occured to Lian that his captive might delibrately try to lose a child he planted in her. He would have to warn Seirei not to even think about trying it, and think of an appropriate punishment should she make such an attempt anyway. "Is there a way a healer can prevent a woman from delibrately losing a child? Are there signs I can keep watch for that would alert me to a possible attempt?" he asked urgently. The healer's next words were so...ridiculous that they were almost funny. His tone remained clam, and neutral, but his hands betrayed his feelings as the flew through a series of signs that reflected just what he thought of her idea. "I suppose I could have...if I wanted to devote several years to doing so. In the time it would take me to teach Seirei enough Pavi to understand what I was trying to teach her, and teach her about our ways, and everything else, I could have sired five children on her, and provided our people with valuable new blood. It is entirely possible that had I tried doing what you suggest, I would be too old to sire children before she trusted me enough to be willing to sacrifice her life and devote it to bearing children for us. It would be one thing if we had invited people to join us. They would have come to us willingly, knowing what would be required of them. The captives aren't willing. So it's natural that they would have to be forced. It's that simple. If one man was able to find another way to get the same result, then good for him. It doesn't mean that every captive will respond the same way. What about the ones who were married before we took them? Or the ones who had someone they loved, but hadn't married yet? Some may well have children that they will never see again because we captured them. Lives that will never be the same. Kindness towards the captives is a luxury that we can't afford. We need children, and the captives will provide them. In this case, the ends justify the means." Lian suspected that he and the healer would never see eye to eye where the captives were concerned. He could understand her point of view. As a healer, she probably had to see the pain the captives suffered up close any time she had to deal with their injuries. Lian didn't enjoy hurting Seirei. Under normal circumstances, he wasn't the type to tolerate violence towards women. But these weren't normal circumstances. His people needed new blood. They needed children to increase their numbers after the illness that took so many. So Lian couldn't allow himself to see the captive women as women. They were captives. Their purpose was to be bred to provide the children that his people needed. If a few of the captives accepted their fate, and allowed themselves to be bred willingly, so much the better. But Lian knew that most would not. And those captives would have to be forced. They would be hurt in the process. If Lian allowed himself to think of Seirei as a person rather than just a captive, he never would be able to do what his people needed. A quick glance told Lian that the healer wanted to be done with their meeting as much as he did. When she asked what he had to offer her in payment, he gave the question some serious thought. "I'm a hunter. I could bring you a portion of my kill. A few rabbits, or part of a deer if I can bring one down. Or the fur, or hide, perhaps." Lian hesitated. He thought there was a good chance that he might set the healer off again if he offered her something of Seirei's as payment...but really, having the girl make something for the healer would probably be the best answer. Wouldn't the healer find a wooden bowl that could be used for mixing herbs, or a wooden flower pot, or some beads more useful than a few rabbits? "I could also offer you a wooden bowl, or some beads, or something like that. Maybe a wooden pot to grow herbs in?" Lian said with some misgiving. Lian hesitated again. Seirei seemed to like this healer. She might even consider Waisana a friend. She was also afraid to even mention the healer in his presence. It was possible that she was afraid that he would get mad and punish her for seeking aid for an injury. That was ridiculous of course...Lian wanted Seirei healthy enough to bear his children. That meant that any injuries she sustained through his treatment of her needed to be tended properly. But Lian had to admit that he hadn't given his captive any reason not to think that he would be angry with her for seeking the aid of a healer. If offering one of Seirei's creations seemed likely to anger the healer, then this idea seemed likely to enrage her. But it would give Seirei a good reason to spend time with Waisana. That might encourage a friendship between them if one existed. And a friend might give Seirei a tie to his people. If there was any chance that she might adapt to her new life, and accept her fate, having a friend might be a good first step. Having a friend she could talk to might keep his captive from trying to harm his unborn child once he succeeded in planting one in her. "Or if you need an assistant...I could offer you Seirei's time. She could help you for a few weeks. You'd have to show her how to do whatever you need her to do, of course. It's unlikely that she knows anything useful to a healer. But you could show her how to do simple things like folding bandages or something. Something that would free you up for more important tasks. And before you get angry about me taking advantage of Seirei to pay my debt to you, please hear me out. I think Seirei might see you as a friend. Spending time with you would be good for her, right? Helping you would give her a good reason to do that. After the way I've treated her...she isn't going to believe me when I tell her that I don't mind her having a friend. That I hope she does make friends here. But if I tell her to go help you with your work, in her mind, she will have a reason to see you that I will accept." Lian tried to think of something else he could offer the healer as payment. Nothing came to mind. "I'm not really sure what else I can offer as payment. Does anything I suggested sound suitable?" he asked after a moment.

[Waisana]

This man was maddening. There was no changing his mind, no way to make him see wisdom but he no doubt thought the same way about her. He wasn't willing to sympathise with Seirei or any of the other captives and she could argue with him until she was blue in the face and have gotten no result for her troubles. She ground her teeth together, willing herself to ignore him. There was no point upsetting herself trying to convince an idiot that wasn't willing to listen. She'd only make herself ill or something. Lian wasn't worth that. He wouldn't get to her, that's what she vowed to herself. She didn't want to acknowledge the way he kept saying bred like Seirei was some brood mare instead of a teenage girl.

Waisana did take some grim satisfaction in having struck a nerve with him. It had obviously never occurred to him that his breeder's unwillingness to bear a child could lead to an abortion. She was sure that it was something that had occurred to the girl when Waisana told her that she might be pregnant. There had been a certain wildness in her eyes, a wildness that had made the healer try to convince her of the child's value to her. The child was hers, not Lian's, that was what she had said. Yet now she almost wished that the girl would show that small ounce of defiance through such an act. Maybe that would convince this man that Seirei had thoughts and feelings and free will.

The girl smiled sweetly at him. "Just because I'm a healer doesn't mean that I know everything, you know." Her hands showed her true meaning, where her words didn't alone. It was obvious that she wouldn't tell him anything that she did know about it. Her satisfaction as short lived however as he started to rip into what she'd said concerning Taylani and Fallan. The healer had to try to block him out again, humming softly under her breath in an effort to focus on something else. She ran through random notes before progressing into lullabies and nonsense rhymes until she couldn't think of any more. It wasn't enough to block him out completely but it did well enough. It was a relief when he went back to business. At least then she wouldn't have to fight the urge to slap some sense into him.

A portion of his kills didn't sound very appealing. Sure, a source of food was always good but she didn't want anything from him. She could get food elsewhere. Hides and furs were no good to her so if that was all that he could offer her then they weren't going to come to much of an agreement. The offer of something wooden made her glare at him. Seirei carved wood. She knew that. The girl had offered her the same items in payment but he had no right to offer the same to her. He wasn't the one who was going to make them after all. The healer said nothing however. She wasn't going to reveal how close her and Seirei were becoming.

The girl sighed quietly. There was nothing that she wanted from him. No goods that he could give her, no goods that she wanted. This was a waste of her time but there was no way to get rid of him. He wasn't taking no for an answer and she wasn't willing to say yes. They'd end up in a stalemate with neither gaining what they wanted.

The last though was entirely unexpected. "What? You'd allow Seirei to..." Waisana murmured uncertainly. Her hand movements were low, conveying her confusion. "Why would you allow her to have a... a friend? Why would you decide to offer something that would benefit her? What's in it for you?"

The idea was appealing. It'd be nice to get Seirei away from Lian as much as possible. She'd be able to keep an eye on her, stop her from harming herself or doing something else stupid. It might even encourage the girl to become a Drykas if she seemed more accepted amongst them. If she became Drykas then perhaps Lian wouldn't continue trying to breed her. It was more than tempting and she was sure that Seirei would be willing to forgive her for accepting the offer.

"I'll take Seirei. That's the only thing that sounds suitable." He couldn't take the offer back now. It was this or nothing.

[Lian Windrunner]

Lian scowled at the healer's answer. Judging by her hand signs, she *did* know something about how to prevent a girl from aborting a child. Or at least signs to watch for...or something. It was equally obvious that she had no intention of telling him what she knew. That angered him a great deal. Didn't the healer realize that she would be helping Seirei if she told him what he needed to know? The girl would suffer less if he could be certain that she was pregnant. How dare she withhold information that he needed?! Lian was about to lash out at the healer verbally, but her next words stopped him cold with surprise. All of the anger from just a moment before was gone. Lian stared at the healer in shock for a long moment, struggling to gather his thoughts. "Why wouldn't I allow Seirei to have a friend?" he demanded in surprise. His hands flashed through a series of signs betraying his confusion, surprise, and not a small amount of guilt. Did the healer truly think he was that cruel? It was true that he did what he must in order to provide the children that his people needed. And to do that, he couldn't allow himself to treat Seirei as though she was human. But...he gave her free run of the city when he wasn't breeding her. He didn't keep her tied up and trapped in his tent all the time. He made certain that she got enough food and water. He allowed her to work with her wood since it seemed to be so important to her. He even allowed her to sell what she made, and keep the money for herself rather than claiming it for himself. As his captive, some would agree that anything she made, any money that she earned...was rightfully his to do with as he wished. But Lian knew that it wasn't true. He might have to breed the girl against her will, and hurt her when she resisted...but he did give her what freedom he could! "Just because I don't believe that the girl...Seirei will ever become one of us doesn't mean that I wouldn't like to see that happen!" he exclaimed. His hands betrayed his growing agitation, flashing through signs without his conscious knowledge. "Of course I want her to have friends! If there is a chance for Seirei to find happiness in her new life, it will be by making friends, and forming ties to us. To Endrykas." Lian shook his head. "Look...just because I put the needs of our people ahead of those of a foreign girl doesn't mean that I don't want her to be happy if she can. I do what I must to give our people the children that we need. In order to do that...I can't let myself think of Seirei as human. If I did...I wouldn't be able to do what I must." Lian winced inwardly. The gods only knew what the healer would make of what he had just said. But there was a part of him that didn't regret admitting the truth. It was also the closest he could come to saying that he knew his treatment of Seirei was wrong. And that he hated causing her pain...but that his people's need would outweigh that of a foreign girl every time. "As for what I get out of it...nothing. No, I take that back. If Seirei is able to make friends and find happiness here...if she does eventually become a Drykas...then our people will gain a very competent, skilled young woman in addition to the children that she bears for us. Since the only reason I've done what I've done to her is to provide our people with the children we need, then I guess you could say that *that* is what I would get out of it." Lian took several deep breaths and counted to ten in order to calm himself. It didn't work as well as he would have liked, but it at least allowed him to speak calmly when the healer spoke again. "Then it's settled. If it works out, and both of you are willing, we can make arrangements for her to continue helping you after the week is up. As long as you both are willing, it can go on indefinitely. When do you want her to start?"

[Waisana]

Anger. That was what she could see in his eyes once more. She felt smug knowing that her refusal to give him the information he wanted had caused the emotion. He knew she knew something but he might not be able to work out what exactly. He was bound to be left frustrated after this encounter. Good. It was only a small vengeance but it was enough to satisfy her for now. Even if he shouted at her, it would be worth it. Instead he became confused. She laughed at his bewilderment. He couldn't even see it from her perspective. Lian was a cruel and heartless man in her eyes so why would she expect him to have enough feeling in him to allow Seirei to have a friend? He couldn't see it and probably wouldn't even if she explained it to him.

The man explained himself rapidly, putting forward his reasons for wanting to have friends, why he'd be happy if she made friends in fact. He believed that he was doing the right thing, putting the greater good before the well being of one individual. She didn't agree with him and didn't want to see where he was coming from but the girl did and she hated herself for it.

You aren't going to sympathise with him! He's still a monster! He had a choice about how he could contribute to society. He could have taken the time to find a suitable wife, one who would bear his children willingly but instead he keeps Seirei as a bit on the side, she reminded herself as she came close to understanding the hunter. The healer would not agree with him. She knew Seirei, knew what she'd been through, and knew that her treatment was wrong. It didn't matter that in order to breed her, he needed to see her as less than human. The fact that he was willing to dehumanise the girl just so he could stomach such a despicable act that he knew was wrong didn't make it any better. He obviously did take some perverse pleasure in her torment though. Waisana had seen the rawness of Seirei's breasts, the way they had been handled so roughly and the girl's own comment that she believed he liked to do it. No, he was still a sick monster no matter what way he tried to package his motives.

The healer crossed her arms across her chest as he spoke, favouring him with a contemptuous look as she considered all that he'd said. Let him deal with that while she considered what to do with Seirei. She'd rather discuss it with the girl herself rather than have Lian dictate to her what she was going to do. If Lian suggested it however and then she discussed the details with Seirei later when she came for her examination then she might be able to convince the girl to look favourably on the offer. If the captive was pregnant then she would need a distraction of some sort and helping Waisana would mean that she wouldn't have time to think and despair - at least while she was with the healer.

Uncrossing her arms, she sighed. "I will discuss it with Seirei myself. If she is willing then she may start when she is ready. You can tell her of my intention if you wish but it will not be long before she comes to see me herself anyway," the teen explained. Belatedly she realised that she'd mentioned a future visit which, if he picked up on it, would seem suspicious. She thought quickly, substituting a partial truth for the whole truth. "I'm keeping an eye on her condition if you must know. She's experienced great change lately which has caused anxiety and stress. That can have consequences and so I'm keeping an eye on her condition. I assume that you have no objections? You want her healthy after all." Her answer was brisk and matter-of-fact, her gestures adding a business-like air to her words. She could only hope that it was believable.