[Sanctuary] New Rules For A New Life (Open/Descant)

[Kavala]

TIMESTAMP: 55th of Fall, 510 AV
LOCATION: Sanctuary
PURPOSE: Introducing Descant to Sanctuary
STATUS: Open to Sanctuary Members

There was so much work to do. There always was. And despite her charity as a healer, which she considered duty to Riverfall, it didn't let Kavala off the hook for all the other work in her life. Descant would find out soon enough that the woman who purchased him worked just as hard as everyone else - often harder - and expected people to pull their weight. Her rationing was easy enough to understand. They cared for those that could not care for themselves, so it was their responsibility to make sure that care was at least equal to how they themselves wanted to be cared for in case the situation was reversed.

The Konti woman spoke very little on the way home. She honestly didn't know what to say. It was wrong on so many levels to buy a slave, but it would have been worse by far to let him go to the mines. The mines meant death, anyone knew that, and only the most hardened Akalaks survived and thrived there. She'd seen them first hand and it was a situation she didn't care to repeat.

Kavala rode Windsong home, sitting the stallion with an ease that bespoke of the two of them having been together a long long time. Descant had been offered a place behind her up on his back because he truthfully was too weak to walk far. It was one of the reasons Kavala did not take the slavers up on the offer of the leash for him and had quietly asked that he take his human form for the trip. He still wore a thick collar around his neck, but despite that, the only other bundle she had for him was his meager belongings.

She had said very little directly to him in getting him out of the Rattling Chains facility. Instead, she'd spoken directly with the slavers and made her deals there.

They rode west, towards the sea, and kept going until he could smell the salt of the ocean and hear its roar on sandy beaches below. The road they took wove through grassland that was soon pastured and filled with a variety of horses. "You are on Sanctuary land now." Kavala said, riding up to the gates of a facility that loomed in the distance, poised on the very edge of the cliffs overlooking the expanse of the Suvan Sea. "There will be rules here. But if you follow them, you'll find life a lot easier for you." She said quietly, intently, halting at a set of large horse gates to slide off the stallions back. She left him sitting as she went to open the massive gates and let the buckskin through. He followed willingly, scenting the warm hay, and the smells of other horses at his home.

Then carefully, she asked the kelvic to dismount and removed the stallion's yvas and her healers packs. "I don't know what to call you." She said suddenly, looking thoughtful. "Do you have a name? I am Kavala. This place is called Sanctuary. It is a stables and healing center for Kelvics and animals. Everyone here works hard to keep the place running. We share the profits in the form of a salary and we take our meals together three times daily. Would you like a tour? Or would you like to sit and have me tend that a bit better first. I suspect you'll need a nice long soak in the tub as well. You've had quite a trip to reach here from Ravok. I can only imagine what you were thinking on the way. I saw that some of you didn't make it. I'm very sorry for that. I don't believe your people should be treated as they are. And I want you to understand that. Here, you are equal to everyone else. And you must treat everyone else equally. Do you understand?" She asked softly, looking at him with concern.

"I brought you here because we need some help. Your duties will not be overly taxing, and will require you to get out and stretch your legs some because a lot of the residents here can't hunt for meat and I'll need someone that can do so to help them out. I'll also ask you to be a guard if you fill that role as well. There are a lot of creatures here that need protection but who cannot defend themselves." She added thoughtfully.

Then she waited, letting him speak.

[Descant Shepard]

There were many things tha Descant had'nt ever done and are used to, riding on the back of a horse bing one of them. He was very paranoid at heart, so getting him on the horse was the hard part, now staying on it was the issue. The glowing woman handled the horse with such ease, he wondered how she did it, deciding it probably took lots of practice. He frowned at the wind that blew through his spiky black fauxhawk and slouched low behin Kavala, trying to hide from it. He wondered who she was, or what rather, noting the scales that covered various parts of her body, like her shoulders. He hadent ever seen anyone like her at all. Her hair blew in his face which slightly irritated him, wishing that they wouldnt go so fast so it didnt have such and opportunity.

He noticed that she didnt say much of anything to him on the way. he was completely fine with that, being that he didnt like to talk much himself. he didnt ever have much to say and when he did speak it was very little. He remembered that she did in fact just buy him, so she might've felt a certain way about that. because how could she not, he did. He hated the fact that he didnt just break out of the pits and run into her, that she had to buy him instead, but he was happy to be away from there nonetheless. As for the collar, of course, he hated it and had been looking for different ways to get it off, but had failed miserably, so he'd just decided to wait until they'd reached their destination.

He watched as the gates got closer and closer as they did. He noticed the cliff and the ocean, grumbling to himself, knowing that he had'nt ever actually liked water. As Kavala spoke, he listened to what she said about rules and following them, which is something that he'd grown accustomed to do in the pits, except that when the lights went out, rule went out the window.

As she halted the horse and asked him to dismount, he did carefully, landing to his feet, then to his knees. His chest still hurt, the wound still bothered him a bit, made it hard for him to stand. He looked up at the woman, hearing her ask his name and continue on about what hers was, then about other Kelvics and animals. He nodded and understood every word and also knew that if he was going to be here, he had to do something to help. It had been a long time since he'd spoken at all, but he tried. "My name is Descant..Shepard. My chest still hurts." He didnt touch on his people or anything like that, he did'nt like to be sentimental or heartfelt. It hurt too much.

Descant liked the idea of being able to hunt, he had'nt done so and it was in his nature, his instincts were to hunt, as opposed to being thrown rancid meat every once in a while. He looked up at her strangely when she mentioned guarding the people there. He did'nt know if he could do it.

"I want to help them...if i can..but what if I fail?"

[Kavala]

Kavala looked thoughtful. "Descant. It is nice to meet you. You shouldn't worry about failing. There are no failures here. There are just opportunities to learn new things and try again. I mean that. We'll fix up your chest here in a moment." She added, looking slightly sad for a moment. Windsong was released into his stall, all his gear put up, and Descant had... nothing really to his name. A sad smile crossed Kavala's features and she reached out and touched the man gently on his shoulder.

"Things are going to be different for you now. Please believe me. No one is going to hurt you here. No one is going to make you do anything you don't want to do. All we are going to do is give you a chance to be what you decide you want to be." It was a strange speech, one that Kavala hadn't meant to say, but a heartfelt statement nonetheless. The Konti turned and took Descants hand. She lead him across the courtyard of Sanctuary and onto the veranda. Then, past the veranda into the clinic itself. She showed him to the exam room, had him sit on the bench, and carefully started getting things out of cupboards. When she had several supplies ready, she dampened a cloth with anesthetic clove water and gently wiped the wound on his chest.

Once she'd cleaned away the worst of the dirt, she put the cloth aside and carefully met his eyes. "I have to touch you to heal this... it will feel strange, maybe even painful, but it will be a lot better after I'm done." She said softly then reached out. Her scaled and webbed fingers splayed out across the wound and suddenly Descant could feel power pouring forth. It flooded him with heat and warmth which he could feel burning away at the infection in his chest. When she pulled her hands away, his chest was healed - nothing but rough skin to indicate scarring remained. Then, carefully, with the efficiency of a healer, Kavala went over him from head to toe. There wasn't any part of him she didn't look at and examined, from the tips of his nose to the tips of his toes. Even his reproductive organs were checked for disease along with his hair for parasites.

Then, carefully, she took the key the slavers had given her for his collar and took it off him. She set it aside. "Here, you will not ever wear that, Descant. Do you understand? There is only one reason I will ever make a Kelvic wear a collar, and it is not a reason you have to ever concern yourself with since you do not have the ability to carry a child and kelvics in the late stage of pregnancy can endanger their offspring by shifting shape. That is the only reason a kelvic here would ever be collared. Do you understand? You are not owned here, not ever, expect by yourself. Own your own actions and your own mind. If you want to leave here after you've rested and had a few days, then that is something you can do. But I want you to stay, to help out if you can, and learn what we can teach you. Everyone here is equal, Descant... everyone. Do you understand that?" She said softly, feeling suddenly hypocritical saying that because she herself wasn't free, but rather property - a reproductive unite - for the city of Riverfall. But her circumstances didn't have to be Descants circumstances.

He could be free.

"But if you stay here, there's rules. One is that you must bathe and keep yourself clean and healthy. You must pull your share of the work to eat your share of the food we gather and prepare. I'd suggest hunting to help bring in meat, but if there's another skill that suits you better, we can utilize that. Even if you aren't a good hunter, you'll learn over time. And until then there's always cleaning and helping other animals and kelvics. I never ask someone to do something I myself can't do. But we should help each other, respect each other, and treat each other with dignity. You can sleep with the rest of us. We all use my upstairs room and a pavilion bed to snuggle down in at night, especially in the winter. And I can take you first thing tomorrow to the city to go shopping. You'll need some clothing and gear if your going to survive this winter and move about Riverfall safely." She added, then finally gave a pause and let him soak it all in.

"And there are others. They'll want to meet you too..." She said, certain they'd be along to meet the newcomer soon enough. They were, to a whole, a curious lot.

She lead him on a brief tour, showing him upstairs, the kennels, and the rest of the clinic rooms. "So, what do you think?" She asked, truly curious if he was going to be okay or if he needed time to absorb all that had happened to him.

[Dhanya]

As soon as Katya had been swaddled, Ouin started to fuss and from what she could tell, his upsets would seep across to his sister and soon both of them would be unhappy. It always seemed to go that way and while walking helped calm them, she was not yet confident enough to carry them both at the same time. So she walked down the stairs, feet bare and still feeling sore, humming a lullaby to her son. She could not hear Katya crying and though she hated to leave one alone, she didn't want Katya to wake again. She wasn't sure just what she was supposed to do. She resolved to go back up the stairs straight away.

"Hush, hush, hush-a-by, hush my baby, do not cry." She sang quietly, moving down the porch once. "Pretty dreams your sleep will bring, and 'til you sleep, to you I'll sing..."

She looked inside to the waiting area, peeking to see if Kavala was in her office. She thought she'd heard horses before, two of them. Perhaps someone else had arrived at Sanctuary was well? She thought she could smell something new.

Ouin seemed to have quieted. She closed her eyes, straining to hear for crying upstairs. She heard voices instead, a man and Kavala. Though she was still unsure of her surroundings, she could not squash her essentially nosey nature. Dhanya followed the sounds, taking ten steps until she could see Descant and Kavala ahead. She raised a few fingers to wave hello at Kavala, before the Kelvic captured her attention. She recognised him as a peer immediately.

Dhanya smiled at him, not one of her usual manic, animated grins but a quiet, pleased smile. She did not know him yet and still she was glad to see him. She had missed being among brethren.

[Descant Shepard]

He sat. tired, on his hands and knees looking up at Kavala, regarding her as he thought to himself as she looked through his bag. He bit his lip and stared to the floor. He didn’t have anything at all. He felt ashamed of that fact that he had so little, but he lived in the pits, he wasn’t supposed to have anything all. It looks as if this woman has everything she wants here; being that this place is so beautiful. He didn’t have anything but two leather bracelets and cigarettes in the bag, and he didn’t even smoke, it was just valuable in the pits and could be used for currency. It was his change after he'd traded for the bracelets. He could wear them since he was rarely ever in his animal form.

As she touched his shoulder, he shrank back a bit; he wasn’t sure if he liked being touched yet, though he didn’t move back to the point where it was noticeable that he was feeling uncomfortable. He didn’t show his feelings well on the outside, his body language was not his strongest attribute, he pretty much had the same focused, but cautious, look on his face all the time and it never left. He listened carefully as she spoke, and for whatever reason...he believed her, it was like she had a special way with her words, they were round and rolled smoothly from her mouth and carried lightly in the breeze to his ears. Her voice was pleasant, and it seemed that she had experience dealing with people like him, not necessarily just Kelvics, but people that had been beaten into submission by society. He nodded, showing her that he understood her words, and as she took his hand, he stood carefully and followed slowly after her, despite her pulling him along. He stared out at the courtyard that she led him through, and observed the area around the veranda before he'd been seated on the bench. He stared as she pulled the supplies from their places; he wondered what they all were but didn’t ask, as he was afraid to speak much just yet. He bit his lip as she neared him with the dampened cloth and winced slightly as she touched the wound to clean the damaged area.

He stared back into her eyes and she met his own. He almost couldn’t keep his gaze, here were piercingly blue, he felt as if she was looking down into the depths of his being. He nodded as she spoke, again, he was afraid to speak much. When her hands touched his chest and gripped the bench tightly, the warmth and power of what she was doing was overwhelmingly pleasant, something he hadn’t felt before. He kept his jaw clenched tightly, bearing the power until she had finished and pulled her hands away from him. He ran his hand over the scar left by it, the four slash marks across his chest were rough to the touch, but it was healed and that was good enough for him. He had other scars, it made him a warrior, each told a different story, like the bite scar on his left shoulder, or the claw scars across his abdomen. Each held a different opponent he'd defeated, each was a trophy.

During her checking of his body, he tried to push his mind to a different place entirely. He hadn’t had a woman touch him before, even if this was just an examination, he hadn’t been exposed in such a manner. Her covered himself with his clothing when she finished and sat again as she took the key to his collar. He winced slightly as she touched it and watched as she slowly removed it from his neck and set it aside. His eyes were locked on it; he rubbed his neck and felt naked without it. It didn’t feel right to be free just yet. He understood that he was free, but letting go of something he held onto for so long was hard. He didn’t like much that it was off but didn’t make a fuss out of it. She was trying to help him be more than a slave, and he was willing to let her. He watched her as she spoke to him about doing his share, he would, and he wouldn’t let her down after she freed him from his slavery. He owed it to her, she may not have described it like that but that what it was to him at that point.

As she began to leave to lead him on the tour, he looked past her for a moment, catching the sight of Dhanya and tilting his head, he didn’t exactly know how to greet her besides looking at her, trying to figure her out. He nodded to her. Before he followed Kavala, he turned back to grab his collar. It was his and he thought she'd understand if he felt that he wanted to keep it for a while. He simply held it in his hand for now, until he could figure out what to do with it. He took in the tour and blinked as she asked what he thought. He didn’t exactly know how to answer, but he tried.

".....Uhh...It's..Very n-nice."

[Kavala]

Kavala smiled at Descants words and thanked him softly. Then she turned to Dhanya and nodded to Descant. "Dhanya, come meet Descant. Descant, this is Dhanya and... her son I think?" Kavala went to peer into the blanket, not sure if Dhanya had the girl or the boy. "I just picked Descant up at Rattling Chains. The Ravok folks sent a male instead of a female. They were going to send him to the mines, but I think here is a much better place for him." Kavala said, glancing at Descant then back at Dhanya. "He came from the pits ." Kavala added, as if that explained a great deal. She turned to study Descant once more, curious about a whole lot but not sure how to ask nor what was acceptable to his boundaries.

She didn't want to push him, not a pit fighter, before he was ready to be pushed.

"Descant, how in the world did you end up in that shipment of female kelvics? They had to have known what you were. I imagine you were far more valuable there than you are here. And that wound couldn't have been that bad before you left. It takes months of travel to get here. If it had been that bad, you wouldn't have lived without medical attention. Was someone trying to ..." Kavala broke it off, unsure of if she'd crossed the line or invaded his privacy too much.

Kavala glanced at Dhanya, unsure really of Descants mental state. She didnt' know if he'd ever bonded in his life nor did she know if he was mourning someone he was forced to be apart from. "I need to ask you another thing, Descant. Have you ever bonded? I mean did you have a bondmate in Ravok?" She asked carefully. Kavala needed to know if he was one of those kelvics who'd never bonded - instantly making him a bit smarter and more human - or if he'd been a childs pet or had bonded frequently in his past which might indeed make him unsuitable for Sanctuary's lifestyle. She needed smart intelligent denizens. Needy dependents weren't really suited for what they were building within the healing complex.

After he'd answered, she'd get him ready for a bath. Which, of course, he needed badly.

[Dhanya]

Dhanya's eyes did not stray off Descant for a single instant, never straying from an expression of pleased curiosity. She wanted to talk to him, not knowing that after his experiences he might want to be left alone to consider all the changes he had seen in one short day. She reddened a little as Kavala explained where Descant had come from, hoping he wasn't embarrassed. She played her cards fairly close to her chest, she imagined most Kelvics did the same. It was part of who they were, making other people comfortable and only sharing when they had trust.

Her mother had told her about the pits. She'd cried for an entire day, which had made her mother look very confused and stressed, and made Jenon check in on her every hour before hovering about only to run away again. She wanted to set those pits on fire and destroy ever last hint that they had ever existed.

She was amazed Descant was still standing.

"This is Ouin." She told him. "His sister's upstairs, I should probably check on her..."

When Kavala asked him if he had ever bonded, she abruptly turned scarlet.

"Kavala!" She whispered.

To Dhanya it was like asking how many sexual partners someone had or how many times they had been divorced, maybe even if they'd had a venereal disease. She felt hot and uncomfortable just thinking about answering a question like that.

[Descant Shepard]

Descant stood quietly as Kavala introduced him to the woman before them. He tilted his head slightly to the little bundle in her arms, slightly confused but then understanding as Kavala told him that was a baby. He put on a small smile to greet Dhanya and her child then looked to Kavala as she spoke about him being from the pits, he did feel slightly embarrassed that he didn't have much while they had things like children and horses. But, on the other hand, he was one of the best pit fighters there, he hadn't ever lost a fight. And that was something that he was very proud of, but didn't speak much about. he didn't like to brag about the fact that he'd killed so many of his brethren. So, naturally, he was glad that she hadn't asked so much about it. As he heard the child's name, he smiled.

"That's a very nice name for a boy...I'm sure he'll be strong." He said, not loudly or at all projected, the audible enough for them to hear.

He looked silently back to Kavala, taking in her question and trying to find an answer for it. he honestly couldn't fathom how something like that could happen either, he wasn't at all sure and he didn't much mind that it happened either. "I-I don't know.." He said, still mulling it over in his own mind. "And the wound..." He touches his chest where the now healed and lightly scarred tissue now resides. "...I'd just finished a fight...I was herded into my cage and the tarp was tossed over it, then a little later, it was moving, and I was put into that wagon." He didn't consider the glowing woman's questions invading just yet, they were simple and relevant to the situation. He didn't know if he exactly trusted her or the woman before him just yet, but he knew that the only way he was going to survive in Sanctuary was to listen to her and understand.

As Kavala spoke of being "bonded", he tilted his head not exactly understanding what that meant. He figured it had something to do with the fact that he'd heard of his kind being kept as pets and such but not him. he was way to distrusting and wary of people for that. He shook his head, not at all bothered by her asking, but then was a bit startled at the elevation in Dhanya's voice. He stared down at the ground and clenched his collar tight in his hands and stared at it in his hands. He didn't know what to say at the moment so he kept his mouth shut and looked away from a moment, then followed Kavala as she led him to his bath, waving to Dhanya and smiling slightly.

[Kavala]

Kavala looked sharply at Dhanya, surprised at her whisper. She raised a white eyebrow at the kelvic goat, not understanding. The question was an important one. Kavala needed to know if Descant was missing a bondmate, in mourning, or had indeed ever bonded. It told her a lot about his psyche whether or not Dhanya understood that. The fact that Descant didn't respond made Kavala expand her awareness on him, trying to read sorrow or pain from the question. Only confusion and uncertainty. Kavala felt surprised. There should be pain there if he had been bonded or perhaps sorrow, loss, or longing. But there was nothing instead.

Kavala glanced at Dhanya. "What's wrong?" She asked outright even as she began to gather some things to take with her to the bath. They were medicines to add to the water and oils to soften Descant's skin. He'd had a rough trip across the grass and showed signs of lengthened sun exposure, probably exposure to rain as well, and who knows how cold the kelvics had been locked in their wagon cage for the trip.

That Descant made a polite comment about Dhanya's son encouraged Kavala. Had he been completely silent she would have been worried that the slavers had broken him somehow or perhaps the place where he was from had. But there was a sharp intelligence from his golden eyes and she hoped that meant he could recover, if a bit slowly, and eventually find his feet. He would make someone a good bondmate. Definitely there was strength in him, though Kavala sensed she'd have to work to get him to start seeing it himself and using it.

But first things first. He desperately needed a bath. Kavala beckoned the kelvics to the bath, her smile inviting Dhanya along if she wanted to keep talking.

Once in the bathing room which was a large stone chamber set into the walls of Sanctuary. There was a wet stall designed to wash off horses but at the far end rested an enormous stone tub. While it wasn't made of elaborate marble or elegant ceramic covered iron, the stone was slightly rough on the outside, worn smooth on the inside, and easily big enough for four adults if not more. Kavala had spent numerous time in the tub doing numerous things, including delivering Dhanya's babies. It served Sanctuary well and was about to yet again. Kavala moved into the bathing chamber, carefully worked the taps that brought sun-heated water from the cistern on the roof down into the pool, and then began adding her medicines to it.

"Descant... can you take your things off and get in? I want to make sure we get you absolutely clean before you sleep. The road dirt and anything else that might be lingering needs to go." She didn't say parasites, but she meant just that. Hair, even in human form, was notorious for collecting lice, fleas, and ticks along trails. "Once you get in, dunk all the way under so I can start on your hair." She added. If he did so, she'd hand him a bar of soap and a wash cloth with careful instructions to 'wash all over deeply'. If he was unwilling or too tired, she'd do it. It was something she had done before with a bear and several Akalak, none of which had managed to kill her.

Descant should be easy after those two varieties of beast.

If his hair got good and wet, Kavala would stand behind him, run her fingers into it, and begin to scrub Descant's long locks thoroughly.

[Descant Shepard]

Descant watched Kavala gather the things for his bath. He hadnt ever actually seen anything like that, nor had he ever had a bath. The people that ran the pits just dumped cold water over their cages. He really wondered what most of the stuff in her hands were but, he didnt ask, he had spoken a lot today, more than he usually would and right now, he didnt exactly want to speak.

He followed Kavala to the bathing room. As they entered, he stared into the space, tilting his head. As Kavala filled the pool, he jumped slightly at the sudden sight of the water, he hadnt ever actually liked water and it never actually made him comfortable. Water wasnt soothing to him, or relaxing or anything of the sort. It had a purpose, and it would serve just that. He watched carefully as she poured the medicines into the water, he frowned some then bit his lip as he realized that he'd have to be naked in front of the woman yet again.

As he's asked to disrobe, he stares down at the floor and begins to remove his tightly fitted shorts and thr cloth that had gone over it. The stepped past Kavala and took a shallow breath before dunking his own head under the water, then coming back up quickly, hanging his head a little then shaking it wildly, trying to rid his face amd hair of the water.He took the soap and wash cloth from her and stared at it with a puzzled look on his face. He hadn't actually ever used these two items before, being that in the pits they'd just dumped water on him that wasnt particularly clean or warm onto him, which started his dislike for water. He was particularly jumpy now and very tense. But, as Kavala ran her fingers through his hair and began washing it, his eyes flutter shut, her fingers against his scalp and the light tugging of his hair put him at ease. He was too caught up in the feeling of fingers against his scalp and through his hair to remember the soap and cloth that he was given. He'd have to do the best he could with it, he didnt exaclty know how to feel about people touching in sensitve and otherwise unflattering areas.