At the back of the room (Open)

[Jiina]

Isette made the name herself. That indicated there was some rife with her parents, as one would not throw off something that their family bestowed upon them for all time without good reason. It seemed her parents were not dead, then, as she would keep her true name as a memory if that occured. The fact too that she did not elaborate on it, that he body was tense and she did not give Jiina a chance to respond to her statement indicated that it was not a topic she was comfortable with, hence it ruled out the possibility that her parents had let her name herself - a possibility that was not entirely probable in the first place. Her parents then had either disowned her or they had become distant and stopped caring. The lack of parental influence in Isette's life could prove helpful to Jiina in her quest for manipulation and dominion over the minds of many, for if she were a Kelvic as seemed entirely possible, then she would be looking for someone else to fulfill the role of mentor and responsibility in her life - and Jiina would be more than happy to provide that. Jiina was glad that her assumption was correct. The woman, Isette, was properly submissive and apologised to her superiors, for surely she sensed that Jiina herself was superior in most everyway. She wouldn't normally condescend to forgive the girl verbally, as it would take away a large portion of Jiina's untouchability, but in this circumstance, that very same untouchableness was limiting her in using this girl. This girl needed to trust her for her full capabilities to be used and exploited by Jiina. She nodded solemnly after listening carefully to what the girl had to say. "It's okay. I understand. I'm sorry if I overreacted." As much as it pained her to bow to one of the disgraced and discarded Shimobe, she did so, hating every moment. It was only now that Jiina realised she had made a mistake. In telling the woman that her name was Jiisate, she had limited her opportunities. For if the woman was to become a regular resource for Jiina that was in her employment willingly, she needed to know and trust the woman. She could continue to lie to the woman and tell her her name was Jiisate, but if she were ever around someone else who knew her, there could easily be a slip up. Taeto too would call her Jiina. Jiina herself might not respond to the ridiculous name 'Jiisate'. Any manner of things could go wrong. But it was too late to change it, and she certainly couldn't backtrack now, not so soon after she had met the girl - she might be scared off. No, they would have to spend much more time with each other before she admitted to lying. If Jiina had been utterly joyful before, she felt more joyful than she had the first time Taeto had nodded approvingly at her first flip. The woman was a Kelvic! THE Kelvic! The cat Kelvic! Jiina had been right! The possibilities were endless. The woman already seemed to trust and like Jiina, which made the next steps easier. A cat Kelvic would be perfect to inflitrate the Shinyama Pavilion, or the Koten Temple. So many things she could do now! As powerful as she was feeling, she had to reign herself in. She could not give it all away too soon. "A... a Kelvic? You're a Kelvic?" she stuttered, as if in utter disbelief. "That's really cool! I've never met a Kelvic before. And don't worry, it's okay. Your behaviour has been fine." She smiled and nodded at the girl, as if she forgave her for everything she had done wrong. She paused, as if a thought hit her. "So, where's your bondmate?"

[Isette]

The woman…was apologizing to her? Isette’s eyes widened in surprise. She took a hasty step back when Jiisate bowed. Isette had a good sense of hierarchy and she felt that this was extremely backwards. Self consciously, she brushed her hair behind her ears. This was all very strange. N-no, please…” Her voice trailed off. What could she say? It was not her place to tell this woman what to do. Not mention, Isette was clearly at a loss for words. Nobody ever bowed to one of the Shimobe. It was weird and felt more than a little surreal. It filled Isette with curiosity. "A... a Kelvic? You're a Kelvic?" The look on the feline’s face when Jiisate reacted to the news of her species was almost comical. A wave of pleasure flushed through her tempered by a healthy dose of confusion. Isette smiled shyly. This was not the common reaction Lhavitians had towards her breed. Kelvics, as a rule, were service oriented and had trouble understanding the complexities of human thought. Their very nature put them at the bottom of the Lhavitian food chain. Kelvics were not ‘cool’, they were more commonly seen has pathetic. This positive reaction was a nice change. The mood changed drastically the moment Jiisate mentioned a bondmate. A whole flurry of emotions crossed over Isette’s face. Hurt, hope, pride, defiance, fear, longing, Isette wanted to believe she was fine without a bondmate. She did not need a companion to be happy. She could take care of herself. The Kelvic tried to look self assured and nonchalant, but her eyes betrayed her. “I do not have a bondmate,” she said quietly. Her soft tone was meant to sound casual but it didn’t quite hit the mark. It was easy to pretend she was autonomous when nobody was around, but having the matter brought up changed things. Having a bondmate almost seemed like a mythological experience to Isette. To have someone you could trust with your whole life, someone who loved and cared about you, someone to share your warmth, your life. Someone to drive away the bad things…It was hard to believe something like that existed for her. She was a solitary creature, she thought, and was therefore not meant to find happiness with another. Isette chose to be alone the moment she exiled herself from her family and she’d spent the last year forcing herself to get used to it.

[Jiina]

She was glad that Isette played her emotions like an open book for all to see, for it made her own job easier. Jiina did not have to forage and coax her into showing Jiina what she was thinking, she did it all herself. Jiina only had to be crafty and form her responses in a way that would not scare her off. The bowing move had clearly been a good move, for she smiled shyly and shifted, tucking her smooth hair back behind her ears. Jiina had flattered the woman, something she was sure that Isette never really was subject to. By flattering her, she had already gained just that smidgeon extra of trust. That smidgeon extra proved useful. Jiina had been doing well today - Isette admitted she was a Kelvic. Confusion and pleasure reigned on the woman's face when Jiina reacted ecstatically to the news. If she was willing to give away her falseness, she would have thanked Isette then and there for being so helpful to Jiina. Negative, sadder emotions reigned over the Kelvic's face when Jiina mentioned that sacred word 'bondmate'. From what she understood, Kelvics needed to have dominance and direction in their lives, they needed to be utterly devoted to another person - Jiina scoffed at them. It may be in their nature, but it was in Jiina's nature to love Zintila and she had broken free of that. The Kelvics, though undoubtedly useful to Jiina and her cause, seemed weak and powerless, and she had no respect for the weak. If this woman insisted on being independent and alone without a bondmate, she had broken free of that damnation. But she was weak for being upset about it. Yes, it was a damnation, but Jiina fully intended to exploit that role, if it came to that. It was entirely possible that it might not go to that stage, and a part of Jiina hoped it didn't, not wanting to be entirely tied down to someone, but if it did, Jiina would be ready. "Oh, I am sorry." Her eyes were sad, and her lips down turned, though she faked it all the while. "Would it be prudent of me to ask why you don't have someone? Like, did something happen to them, or ..." She trailed off, waiting for Isette to fill the blanks, and she was sure she would. The woman was giving out information freely, and Jiina was gobbling it up, wanting more every second.

[Isette]

“Oh, I am sorry.” Isette looked at the woman for a moment, her gaze thoughtful. Sorry? Why was she sorry? The Kelvic was determined to believe that she didn’t need a bondmate to be happy. She was not a common dog in need of a master. She could take care of herself. She could. Or, at the very least, that’s the truth she accepted and the belief that kept her going. The woman was kind for flattering her, but Isette did not want her pity. Pity made her feel weak. As a creature living on her own, weakness was a terrible thing to feel. “I do not have a bondmate,” Isette responded quickly. Determination flashed in her eyes. “I never had a bondmate. I chose to live alone. Please do not pity me.” Chose. Past tense. Would she make the same choice again? What if she were offered another chance to have a home and a family that loved her? Would she turn away from that again? The Kelvic blinked away the storm of emotions that threatened to cloud her vision. In order to fool the world all she had to do was fool herself. Isette was finally closing down. It would be for the best, she thought, to turn down such an offer. A Kelvic had no place in Lhavitian society, not outside of the Shimobe. She could be a servant, constantly put down and walked all over. She could take a job, but she could not be loved. Lhavitians did not love the Shimobe. As family, she would be nothing but a disappointment. She was the dirty laundry that nobody wanted to talk about. As a Shimobe, she preferred to be invisible. It was better than loving a master that would not love her in return. I am not a dog… Her hardened gaze found the woman’s own eyes and she looked into them curiously. This woman was not treating her like a dog. She was regarding her with curiosity and an open mind. Catlike, but without the skittish nature of a stray. She was lionhearted in Isette’s eyes, and Isette respected that. ”Who are you, Miss Jiisate?” There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but Isette grasp on human language was only basic at best. She had trouble finding the right words and was afraid that choosing the wrong ones would offend her again. Isette did not want that.

[Jiina]

The woman seemed thoughtful but determined when she snapped back an answer to Jiina's question. Jiina was liking this girl more and more - not only was she freely telling Jiina absolutely everything she wanted to hear, but she recognised what was weak - having to rely on a bondmate. The determination that flashed across her features showed that she understood independence. While Jiina doubted the woman would have the strength of will to keep up that decision, a part of her - a very, very small part of her - respected her for wanting to break free of the oppression that was ground into her very nature. Despite the previous determination that laced through Isette's words, her eyes blinked at the end of her sentence, as if unsure at what she had just said. Jiina had to suppress a sigh. She had shown such promise, such potential, and in her hesitance and unassuredness, she had ruined it for Jiina. She swallowed deeply, as if to clear the metallic taste out of her mouth that her disappointment in Isette had left. Smiling another smile, though this one slightly more bitter than the others (completely unwillingly), she responded. "But, I thought Kelvics needed bondmates? Why would you choose not to have one?" If Jiina was going to be disappointed in Isette, she may as well find out why Isette was being so stubborn and yet so wavering over the bondmate issue. "And I do not pity you, Isette. I just do not understand." And while, if she were not acting right now, she would never admit she did not understand - she did not. She did not understand why the woman had to make it into a big deal. She should decide one way or the other. She needed to have strength of character. Who was she? That was a good question. Who was the persona Jiina had created to find out what she wanted from Isette? She could not help but feel the control was slipping away, for although Isette told her everything, Isette had been entirely honest and Jiina had not. She regreted it now, for a creature of honesty such as Isette also needed to be treated with honesty. Jiina was not sure how much further she could progress with this girl, how much more she could get out of her, without her knowing the truth. But she could not tell her straight out that she had lied, either. "Who am I? I'm not entirely sure, myself, not any more..." The pity card had been played. It could work, and Jiina hoped it did. It could perhaps buy her time for her to think up a legitimate excuse. Of course, it did not help that a part of Jiina was starting to like the girl before her and her raw honesty, an honesty that Jiina had always lacked.

[Isette]

Isette sensed a change in the woman. This smile. It was different than the previous ones, though she could not pinpoint exactly how. It gave her an uneasy feeling that she tried to ignore. Humans were hard to understand. Had she insulted the woman again somehow? Isette went over her words, unsure of what happened to cause this change. Maybe she was reading too far into it. The woman was speaking and that slight change was gone. It bothered Isette, this strange not knowing, but if Jiisate was past the mood than Isette should try and keep up. More than likely it was nothing at all. Of course. Jiisate had mentioned that she had never met a Kelvic before. How could she possibly understand? Isette would have loved to explain her race to the woman, go over the true meaning of a bondmate and outline her own thoughts on the idea. Problem was, her Lhavitian was not good enough for her to speak on such an intricate subject. Isette was without words. She tilted her head to the side, a slight frown tugging on her lips as she tried to formulate her thoughts into an understandable explanation. One that would not insult the Lhavitian before her. Eventually she shrugged. “Food is necessary,” Isette replied, “And water, and air. A bondmate is…good. In Lhavit, a bondmate is not…practical.” Or something like that. It was the best explanation she could come up with unless Jiisate happened to speak feline. The point was, Isette believed she could survive without a bondmate. She was lonely, but having a bondmate in Lhavit would not make her less lonely due to the fact that Lhavitians were proud and looked down on anyone lesser than them. Isette was one of those ‘lesser’ types. Lhavitians used the people that loved them. Or…most of them at least. Perhaps it was harsh of Isette to judge all of them. As the woman before her spoke, Isette felt her expression become more gentle. Jiisate’s answer was not what she expected. Most Lhavitians always seemed so sure of who they were. It was engrained into them from birth. This woman was different. Isette liked that. “I admire your honesty, Miss Jiisate. You are a gem beside pebbles. What has happened that changed you?” This woman must have had an interesting past to be so different from the others. Isette was powerfully curious.

[Jiina]

Isette seemed confused as she tried to explain just why she didn't have a bondmate. Was it because of the language barrier? Or was it because she herself wasn't entirely sure why she didn't have a bondmate? Though Jiina admittedly was proud of Isette for wanting to annex herself from the utterly dependent part of her being, Isette seemed concerned that she had chosen not to have a bondmate - and Jiina was not entirely sure of it in the first place. The idea of being a bondmate was degrading to Jiina, but to a Kelvic it wouldn't be, and she could not fathom why Isette would dislike the idea in the first place. The girl was an enigma, and Jiina was having trouble understanding her - which was a seriously strange occurance for her. Jiina thought she understood what Isette was saying, but she could not for the life of her fathom why a bondmate in Lhavit was not practical. Surely a bondmate, unless they too were of the Shimobe class would be absolutely essential? Why was the girl not trying to better herself? Why was she allowing herself to wallow in self pity? Jiina did not understand and it was frustrating her. She so very rarely did not understand, and when she didn't, she got angry with herself. And when she was angry with herself, she exploded at others. Which she could not afford to do with Isette, it would scare the skittish cat off. Jiina knew that the girl would answer what she put to her, but she had to swallow back the itching burn of irritation that was rising in her throat, lest it escape in the form of pure anger. "But why, Isette?" Jiina could not help the somewhat frustrated tone. "Why is a bondmate not practical? I do not understand!" If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have said that she was feeling ignorant, lest it get back to Taeto. Petching petch shyke, Jiina was tempted to yell aloud. Not only was she getting frustrated at herself, but she was losing control of the situation. The Kelvic girl was asking questions now and there was no way she could decline to answer them without completely shutting down any possible future use of the girl. And an honest creature would know when others were being honest, so Jiina could not make up an entire story on the spot. It would have to be here own story. Jiina, for some reason, was beginning to like the girl (perhaps that was why there was a loss of control?) and so she felt guilty lying. Perhaps, now, was a way of clearing up the mess with the name. "I, too, named myself Jiisate." Another blatant lie, but she would fix it. Perhaps, in telling her her real name, she would find out Isette's too. "My real name is Jiina. I was ..." She hesitated here, wondering if she should tell the story. She decided to risk it, for it help similarities with the girl's own, but without the details that would be so damning. "I too left my parents. I was almost in the Shimobe class, but a kind man from the Twilight House took me in as his daughter." She paused, but decided not to make anymore reference to Taeto. Their relationship was ... convuluted, anyway. "So you see, Isette, we have quite a bit in common." She hoped that would be enough to appease her, but not enough to make her doubt her.

[Isette]

Oh…Jiisate seemed frustrated. Had Isette said something wrong? Oh wait. Isette understood this sort of frustration. The kind that came from not understanding something. She felt it a lot. She herself was naturally curious. She wanted to know everything and everyone and hated not understanding things, but she also lacked the mental abilities of a human. Abstract concepts were harder for her to grasp. Jiisate’s emotional output was so familiar to Isette, it almost made the Kelvic wonder if she was Kelvic herself. It was not an idea she entertained. The woman had already proven herself to be human. But it was an interesting thought nonetheless. She wanted to explain this all, to make that frustration go away. Take away her curiosity. It was hard, though. Isette didn’t know what to say. Silence stretched between them as Isette searched for words that would make sense without sounding offensive. There were none. “I do not know how to explain,” she said slowly, “I would like to live happy. I do not want to waste time to find a Lhavitian that will care for a Shimobe, and respect that Shimobe as equal. To love, trust, and be worthy of that Shimobe’s perfect loyalty. To find that person…It would be great.” She smiled, and there was the slightest trace of bitterness in it. “That would be a rare Lhavitian. I can be happy on my own. If I find a bondmate, I find one. If I do not, I do not. I choose to make my own happiness.” That was more words than she expected to use. Isette blushed. She was saved from feeling awkward, however, when Jiisate spoke again. “I, too, named myself Jiisate.” Well. That certainly got Isette’s attention. The Kelvic listened intently as Jiisate related her own story. Isette was fascinated. They really did have things in common. Except Jiisate was adopted. From someone in the Twilight House. Whoa. Isette’s eyes widened. No wonder Jiisate was so nice. She had almost been Shimobe herself. “Wow,” Isette murmured, “Why did you leave?” Had she not been good enough for her family, too? Or were there other reasons? The curiosity was almost overwhelming. She had met a few people who had been disowned. Not many, two or three, but had never met anyone else who left on their own. This was a big thing they had in common. What else did they share?

[Jiina]

Jiina, when she was frustrated, became impatient. She hated when she was like this, when she lost focus, control. It happened very rarely, but Jiina was not used to dealing with someone like Isette, someone who was so unintentionally honest. Even if her words did not tell Jiina everything, her expressions were amongst the most truthful she had seen. She almost couldn't believe she was in this situation, where someone as closed and cold and fake as Jiina was talking, and feeling some sort of petched up like, towards the most honest girl in the world. It was strange, confusing, and Jiina could not help but but impatient and angry with herself. As silence stretched on while waiting for Isette to find the words, she tapped her foot impatiently. She nearly groaned aloud at the Kelvic's first words. She did not know how to explain. Great, that made TWO of them who didn't know what was going on. Who was in control of the conversation? Jiina was not used to it not being her, but Isette didn't seem to be controlling it either. In an extremely confusing way, they seemed to be equals - honesty and lies, Twilight Family and Shimobe, animal and human. This thing with Isette was twisted and confusing. Jiina had never been so much as influenced by a person who was not Taeto, and here was Isette doing it without even thinking. Jiina's anger made its way out of her mind without her thinking about it. Subtlety had long passed, and Jiina's anger at this girl (through no fault of the girl herself) was incomprehensible, and Jiina hated that. "I do not understand you, Isette," she spat viciously. "I do not understand how you can just ignore something that is a part of you. It is ingrained into you. Kelvics need to be submissive, to have orders, to follow, and you say you don't care? I think you lie. I think you do care, but you're insisting on being stubborn, because you feel you are more important than the average Kelvic. You think you can do what hundreds have failed to do in the past. Fool." she raised her hand, flux flowing through the pathways in her arm, strengthening it, adrenalin pumping through her veins. She almost struck her, was so close, but the girl would be forever lost if she did that. Slowly, she closed up the djed in her arm and lowered it. She took a deep breath. Jiina did not know it, but her understanding of anything that she percieved as "lower" than she was limited. She saw Kelvics as submissive, so she did not need to understand anything about them ... right? Her understanding was changing itself through chasing one little cat. She swallowed, angry with herself that she had let that anger explode. It was a vicious cycle. "I... apologise, Isette." She gritted her teeth as she spoke that dreaded word. "I did not mean to explode at you." Jiina calmed down. The girl was asking questions about her past, and she was too angry to properly answer the question. Short, sharp breaths burst forth from her lips as she closed her eyes and counted slowly to ten in Lhavitian under her breath. Opening her eyes slowly, her black eyes glittering and hard, she snapped out. "They didn't want me. You chose to leave. I didn't."

[Isette]

Wrong words. The woman was angry with Isette. Startled by the sudden venom, Isette took a step back. There was fear in her eyes as she resisted the urge to shapeshift and flee. She probably would have had it not been for Jiisate’s words. She didn’t understand. That was the cause of her anger. Well no, how could she understand? Nobody had ever explained it to her before. She had never lived it. Isette’s own parents did not understand it, how could she expect this stranger to. Just when Isette was starting to calm herself, however, Jiisate raised an arm as though to strike her. The Kelvic flinched and looked away, shielding the vulnerable areas of her face. She waited for the sting of a hit, but nothing came. A second passed. Two. And still nothing. Slowly, Isette raised her eyes. Her gaze held compassion. Isette wasn’t sure why, but her compassion for Jiisate was overshadowing her fear. Instinctively, Isette held her ground and gazed back at the woman. “It is fine,” she said softly, “I do not lie to you, Jiisate. It is a complicated thing.” Complicated even in her own mind. Isette did not think she was better than anyone. She was proud, but not arrogant. She didn’t want Jiisate to think she was arrogant. She wished to explain herself, but chose to stay silent. Jiisate was in an unstable mood and Isette did not know her well enough to predict her actions. The feline was only glad that she had not been hit. “You chose to leave. I didn’t.” Oh no. Isette’s eyes widened. She wanted to hug Jiisate, offer her some form of physical comfort. The woman before her was miserable, angry. Isette wished she could make it better. She took a step forward and half reached out, but pulled back at the last minute. How would this woman react to being touched? “I am sorry, Miss Jiisate,” Isette murmured, “Lhavit can be a harsh place. I hope your new home brings you love and happiness.” The sincerity of her words was reflected in her expression. She felt for this woman. They had so much in common, but were so very different. Isette didn’t like seeing her upset. More questions flowed through Isette’s mind, but it no longer seemed like the time to ask them. The conversation had made a very sudden change. There were undercurrents of emotions that Isette did not entirely understand.