All Living Things Must Eat

by **Zhol** on September 12th, 2014, 5:01 am

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It was as if time had slowed, as realisation dawned in Zhol's mind. The downturned eyes, the way she shielded herself, the way she avoided looking in his direction, the way her gaze shifted towards the door -

He eased himself to his feet, a cautious step taken towards her. He knew what that expression meant; he'd seen it before too many times when someone else, quite dear to him, had also struggled to hide her true feelings and not allow Zhol to witness her tears. For that woman it had been stubbornness that spurred her actions, but with this girl a very different reason was abundantly clear. She was terrified, of what could still happen to her; terrified that the bolted door trapped her as much as protecting her; terrified that this stranger would be unable to protect her if the danger came again.

Zhol moved as close to her as he dared, slow and deliberate so as to avoid any sudden, startling movements. She still looked away, still struggled on the verge of tears. Gently he reached out, and with a crooked finger guided her chin, tilting her head until her eyes met his. "Hey," he said gently, his gaze unflinching, his voice and expression as soft and non-threatening as he could make it. His hand retreated to her shoulder as a gesture of reassurance, and he hoped an emphasis of his sincerity. "I won't hurt you, and I won't let anyone else, either. It's okay, you don't have to hide from me."

Worry tugged at his brow; he wondered what damage her assailants might have caused that she simply was not revealing. His gaze fell to her chest for a moment, wondering how bad the bruises - or worse - from the more aggressive Chiet's actions might be. His eyes returned to hers, a worried smile joining his worried frown.

"You never told me your name," he realised, hoping to coax something - anything - out of his reluctant charge.

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

by **Khara** on September 12th, 2014, 2:54 pm

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She wanted nothing more than to vanish in that moment. Somehow turn invisible or simply cease to be. The upwelling of apprehension refused to subside and the gentle way he touched her did nothing to put her at ease. Still, her mind offered. At least he isn't being forceful. The realization was a meager offer, but she clung to it. The way he spoke, how he said he wouldn't hurt her, she wanted to believe him; she already did regarding how he intended to protect her from the others, at least for the moment. It wasn't just the way he said things, the look he gave her, the one she couldn't keep from seeing, it only made him seem all the more sincere. A small nod was managed in acknowledgement as she kept her eyes trained on his for as long as she dared before they fell away once more.

The uncontrollable fidgets and small amount of shaking she had managed to ignore were suddenly brought into focus as she caught him looking at her and a sudden almost painful tightening wrapped hold inside of her as her eyes met with his again. She wasn't expecting him to ask her another question, and for a moment she found herself completely speechless.

"I... I, " she forced a rough and dry feeling swallow before trying again, forming each word in her head before speaking it. "I was named Khara."

It didn't sound right, but she could hardly focus on the simple phrases that had originally been taught to her. Instead she was bursting with questions like: Why is he trying to be nice to me? Does he know he doesn't have to be? How long will he keep me here? When can I go back to my room? What's happening outside...? The last brought a new stab of panic that brought the realization that she had begun to look down again. He had made her not do that. Quickly, she forced herself to look up at him again and once more all concern for anything taking place outside of the room was gone.

He was being nice to her, and he had saved her life. There could certainly be far worse ways for this to happen to her, or at least, that was the best thought she could come up with. Ignoring the still tight sensation in her chest and the cramping that suddenly came from her stomach, Khara drew in a long deep breath to try and boost her courage. Her eyes lowered, trying to look more demure than ashamed, or worse frightened. It was more an act of surrender than bravery or trust when she finally removed her quiver and set her bow down next to it on the floor, though.

"I'm sorry," she began, trying to keep her voice as even as possible. "I should not keep you waiting." Despite her best efforts, the trembling in her hands worsened as she reluctantly reached behind her and began to undo the lacing across the back of her vinati.
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"Nari" | "Common"

by **Zhol** on September 12th, 2014, 4:04 pm

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Waiting?

Confusion tugged at his brow, and clouded his mind enough to dull his reflexes and stop him from realising what was happened. He'd smiled as she'd looked up at him, willingly he thought; been relieved when she'd relaxed enough to set down her weapons. But as she reached behind her and began to loosen the bindings on her clothes, understanding seemed so distant; and then as she peeled the fabric away from her skin and stood there exposed, sudden comprehension struck her like a stampede of Glassbeaks.

"No."

It was so reflexive, so visceral a reaction that it tumbled from him in his native Pavi. He recoiled, not in revulsion but in horror as the pieces cascaded into place. An Avora had saved her, had brought her to his room, had locked the door - and this was the reason she expected? He knew, in the back of his mind, that such things happened. He knew that Endals and Avora would take advantage of the necessary obedience of the Chiet and the Dek; take advantage of them. Before though, it had been a distant concept in the back of his mind, never dwelt upon, never considered. He hadn't made his intentions - his lack of those intentions - clear, because it had never occurred to him; the thought of doing so was alien to him. To him, that intent was not normal, but to her?

His eyes fell away, looking at everything but her. The Inarta thought about that differently too, which was why he visited the communal baths only when he thought no one else would be there; but just because he respected Inarta customs and traditions didn't mean his gaze couldn't respect Khara the way his own morals required him to. He retreated across the room, so much that his back found the far wall. "You don't have to -" he began to say, but that sounded wrong; feeble; not forceful enough.

He demanded that his eyes look at her, despite his chest's protests. "I brought you here to protect you," he asserted. "To keep you safe. Not for this."

HIs eyes fell, but not with embarrassment this time: with shame, with disgust, with sorrow at what this girl he barely knew had already come to think about him. "I am not Inarta," he said quietly, and while the words were timid there was a certain resolute edge in those words; the first time since arriving in Wind Reach that an Outsider felt like the right thing to be. "I am not like them."

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

by **Khara** on September 13th, 2014, 10:14 pm

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Confusion, surprise, complete mortification... The emotions were experienced and moved on to the next in such rapid order it made her feel like the room was spinning. I'm not like them. A simple phrase that sounded so very much like what she had shouted at her fellow Chiet. It was more than enough to turn her entire view of the Avora on it's head. He actually had wanted to help her, to actually keep her safe, to just make sure nothing bad happened to her. It all seemed like such foreign concepts, not the general idea or possibility that an Avora could be genuinely kind to a Chiet, just that one would do so to her.

It wasn't these thoughts that lingered as she sheepishly put the piece of clothing she had shed back in place, that she could have handled, it was the other thoughts that bubbled up uncontrollably, accusingly. Right. Way to go, sparrow! Like any Avora would ever actually take that kind of interest in you. You'll be lucky if a Chiet ever decides to even be with you. Mom settled for a Dek, after all, so who are you kidding? You'll have to as well.

"Sorry." The word left her dejectedly in Nari before she realized the mistake. "I-I'm sorry, I did not mean to make offends at you."

That was the thing of it though. He didn't look offended, he looked far more unhappy and it tugged at her in ways she hadn't expected. All his good intentions and all she had managed to do in return was accuse him of wanting some form of carnal payment.

The reality of the fact it may have been some sort of cultural misunderstanding hit her suddenly and an embarrassed laugh left her. "This is a bit of a mess, is it not? Can I make amends?" She questioned, wondering if she was speaking a word of sense or if she sounded like a child attempting to speak for the first time. His command of Common seemed quite a bit better than hers, after all. "I did not say 'Thank you', I can start with that. So, yes, thank you... Zhol, was your name?"
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"Nari" | "Common"

by **Zhol** on September 13th, 2014, 10:57 pm

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Offended? No, no, no, why was she the one feeling guilt? Zhol's heart sank even deeper, wondering just how deep the poor girl's emotional wounds ran. She had assumed the worst of him - was that because what she suspected had happened before, or was it some fear that every young Inarta woman in her position learned to fear? Was the chasm between Chiet and Avora so broad that the thought of offending one was some unforgivable sin? Was this whole city filled with women like her, or was there more to Khara's story than he knew so far?

He had so many questions, but far too many of them had painful answers for him to even so much as breathe a single one. A mess she had called it, and she was right: a blundered rescue, and a painful misunderstanding that he had compounded at every term; and here she was, apologising for feeling the way that his actions had caused her to feel. He didn't know where to begin unraveling and dismantling that faulty display of logic; and even if he did, he wasn't sure she understood enough of his words for the message to get through.

There was time enough for that though; an entire future of it, Lhex permitting. If it took a day, a year, or a thousand years; if he had to die inside every day waiting for her to understand how innocent and blameless she was, well enough to ever forgive him... then that was how long he would wait. He hadn't been able to save any of the others they had passed on their covert journey to the common rooms; he couldn't go out and save anyone else in this riot-torn city no matter how badly he wanted to; but he would save this girl, no matter what it took, with tireless effort until he saw a smile, heard a laugh, and truly understood that he was different, and that she was worth something.

Cautiously he closed the distance between them. Making no sudden movements, he halted a little more than an arm's reach away - a safe, respectful distance - and extended a hand towards her. "Zhol, yes," he agreed with a smile, careful to keep his words as simple and clear as he could muster, to make sure she completely understood.

"It is very nice to meet you, Khara."

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

by **Caela Dorin** on September 19th, 2014, 7:46 pm

Grade Awarded

Zhol

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Deduction	1
Glyphing	1
Intimidation	1
Observation	2
Persuasion	2
Reimancy	2
Rhetoric	2
Subterfuge	1
Weapon: Broadsword	1

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Using Reimancy for Intimidation
•	Reimancy: Fire Ball
•	Using Glyphing to Set a Booby Trap with Reimancy
•	Identifying Someone as a Game Scout
•	Khara: Thinks I Rescued Her to Bed Her
•	Being Entirely Misunderstood

Consequences :

Khara

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Brawling	1
Intimidation	1
Observation	4
Rhetoric	1
Socialisation	1

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Attacked By My Own Caste
•	Zhol: Foreign Saviour
•	Zhol: Saved Me in Order to Bed Me?
•	Considering Betraying a Rescuer
•	Submitting to an Avora's Will
•	Wrong First Impression of Zhol

Consequences :

Additional Comments

Oh gods, I saw that misunderstanding coming and no matter how much I screamed at the computer scream, Zhol and Khara just weren't getting it. I also did laugh far more than was appropriate because I'm a horrible person. I do absolutely adore the interaction between the two because even when they aren't quite getting each other, they're simply a delight together. Good job, look forward to more.

ZholI understand that the fireballs in the first post were thrown quickly but do remember to bear in mind that once fully transformed, you wouldn’t be able to control it very well after a few seconds of the transformation, especially given your skill.

Please edit or delete your grade request and PM me if you have any questions or concerns about your grade.

x

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