Some Quality Girl Time [Nehsmay]

[Nidassasyae]

Nida's fevered gaze softened slightly as she detected the sadness in her friend. What a pair they made, the two confused girls. Neither completely understanding the other, and trying their best to do so. While Seliarus was her Bondmate, Nida's connection with Nehsmay was still strong, albeit in an entirely non-magical way. She felt the need to please Nehs. "We find Shade," Nida shook her head adamantly. "I don't know exactly who this Kelvic is. Don't know. But I do know something. He couldn't have abandoned you. No. He must have had a reason. Reasons for everything." "I will stop when you or Sel tell me. I will go when you tell me. The decision isn't mine. It's never been mine. As much as you, or he, say that I could make it. I can't. Not mine. Not me." The Kelvic shook her head, wishing she could take Nehsmay's promises and reassurance. But she couldn't. Choices were not hers to make anymore. It wasn't because of the control that he had over her, nor the love she had for her 'sister'. Nida just didn't want to be the one to make these decisions anymore. She wanted to be told what to do, and she hated every moment of it. How she longed for the freedom of the open wastes, but the very thought of leaving the Vantha and Dhani filled her with an unparalleled fear. But then the Vantha's words turned to love. How Nida despised and idolized that word, that single syllable that spelled out countless moons of frustration and confusion. At first, Nida couldn't process what Nehsmay was trying to communicate. Love was in your chest? No, that was the heart, the ribs, the lungs. The wonderful place that contained so much meat. How could love be that? It made no sense. The Wind, the Sun, the Rains, the sweetness of a bloody piece of meat... how could they be love? This was abstract, this was poetry... this was petching difficult to understand. Nida was no poet, no philosopher, no human to solve and figure out the complexities of the mind and its emotions. To her, this sounded like complete and utter gibberish. But Nehsmay didn't lie. This had to be true. This had to be love! So all that remained what figuring out what she was saying. "Forgetting. About yourself..." murmured Nida, her grip on Nehsmay's hand suddenly growing slack. The Kelvic's face paled, and she looked away. The Vantha's description had aptly told Nida what she had wanted to know. Or at least, the misinterpretation of the Vantha's words. Did love mean forgetting about yourself? It must. Nehsmay didn't lie. But that would mean... Kelvics could love? Nida could love? The conflicted young woman didn't know what to do with this newfound knowledge. So this losing herself, this confusion, was all just love? A feeling spread through her body, icy cold and blisteringly hot at the same time. Hate, confusion, grief, fright, relief, love. Was it all of those, or none at all? A playful breeze blew through the clearing, making the flames spin and dance, and blowing the Kelvic's raven hair from her face. The Chevas mark was completely unobscured by the blueblack locks. Heavily stylized and shimmering silvery in the firelight, the mark took the shape of a slitted eye. But Nida didn't know what it meant, what it signified. The Kelvic had no understanding of the concept of marriage. Yet still, the condemning mark lay on the skin on the left side of her neck, winking at Nehsmay in a serpentine and treacherous manner. The Kelvic did nothing to cover it, not realizing that it was now clearly in the Vantha's line of vision.

[Nehsmay]

Nehsmay sighed, still unsure whether her message got through. Kelvics were different, she knew that very well and she couldn't totally understand them. And she was different, though she didn't want to admit it. In another time she would have woved a tale about princes and princesses in love to make her point. Thinking about how animals lived and what she had seen, Nehsmay gave one last try. "Try doves." she said "When you see a pair of doves in our travels try looking at them without thinking they are food. Just observe them...maybe that'll help." Looking closely at her friend she noticed the wind had revealed a perculiar mark on Nida's skin, one she hadn't noticed before. It was queer in a an almost chilly way, but at the same time it drew attention to itself. To Nehsmay who had no idea what it was it it looked simply alluring and fascinating. "That mark is beautiful." She said innocently almost reverting back to her normal, pre-Zeltiva behavior.

[Nidassasyae]

Nida simply nodded absently, not really minding the comment about doves. She was still lost in thought. But even if she had been truly listening, it wouldn't have mattered. Everything was a potential food source. Doves would never be any different. To Nida's mind, everything was simply classified into either Prey, or Predator. And doves were most definitely prey. But at the mention of the mark, Nida's attention snapped back to Nehsmay. The Kelvic peered at Nehs curiously, noting the absolute innocent expression on the Vantha's face. Did she know what it was? Perhaps. Humans knew much about the world. They knew little to nothing about nature, but many of the other things they did still remained a mystery to her. Could this be one of them? Of course, Nida had no way of knowing about Chevas Marks, other than the name itself. She'd heard it in an old tale, but the explanation behind it had never come. She'd thought it odd, and definitely magical in origin, though the mark itself had no such powers, or gave none. The Kelvic had no idea that everyone in Mizahar who'd joined to another in matrimony had one of these. Every single married couple had a matching mark, regardless of race. In fact, she didn't even know what the petch marriage is. "Thanks," she said, her eyes not meeting Nehsmay's. She didn't exactly want to tell how she got it. "Chevas Mark. What is?"

[Nehsmay]

Nehsmay glanced at the mark on her friend's neck once more and pondered how to explain the Chevas mark to her friend. It was a marriage mark, but of course a leopard would know nothing about marriage and the like. "It's a bonding mark." Nehsmay said softly "When two people bond they receive this mark from the goddess Cheva. My mother and my father received one after they married, it was a snowflake enclasped in a diamond shape, but after he died it disappeared."