| Logs |
2011 February 20
| Neverneverwhere |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
| Realms: Taps Logs |
A Glad Tapper's Tea Party
Chanticleer chews his lip, glancing back at the outpost. Alg will be following Stephan, so unless the dwarf does something bad to him, Alg would come running as soon as something looks amiss. Suraksha gently pats Chanti's arm, smiling up at him, "Everything's fine, dear. Relax. We'll know if anything goes wrong." Chanticleer lets out a breath, nodding to Suraksha and smiling a little. He tries to focus on the group instead.
Jenny and Lloyd are watching Regina converse with the Tap. Regina smiles at Dominic, showing teeth that seem to be made of some sort of glistening crystal, "Earth is very helpful. Solid. Dependable. It will do what you ask if you're good to it." Which is easy for her to say, but not so easy for people to do. She speaks like many people who do something difficult with great ease. The earth daubed all over her is of different colors -- ochre, tan, chocolate brown, greens, and blues. It forms spirals and other round shapes over her body.
Dominic feels self-conscious, listening to Regina talk. Not freaked out by the crystal teeth -- that's actually intriguing, and he finds himself wondering what Regina eats, if anything. But listening to the earth fae explain the earth, he wonders if maybe he's internalized some of that, being a Tap. Or wanted to. Her words sound oddly familiar. "Please, can you tell me more?" he queries, trying not to sound too much like an eager puppy as he kneads at his hat -- though if he had a tail it would be wagging.
Regina smiles and tips her head the other way, "There is not more to tell, I don't think. It is not a telling kind of thing. It is a feeling kind of thing." Behind Regina, Lloyd is starting to fidget and Jenny reaches down a hand to touch his head.
Suraksha glances amusedly at the other two wild fae, then murmurs, "Regina, would you and your friends be comfortable entering the fort? Perhaps we could all have some tea, and I could introduce Lloyd to Alg, our goblin friend." She figures if anything or anyone could keep a stoat busy and entertained... it'd be playing with a goblin and a pack of dogs! She figures that'll also give the two Earth-related entities some time to sit and chat together, and maybe even try some earth-moving practice.
Regina looks over her shoulder at Jenny and Lloyd. There seems to be a moment of silent conversation and then Regina nods, "We'll go in, but only if they leave the gate open. Nothing will make it here without us knowing. They are safe."
Chanticleer looks inquiringly to Cullen, "It'll certainly help foster good relations,"
Cullen grins and nods, "Of course. Of course. If they're allies, they're welcome inside." He calls out to the gate guards to leave the gate itself open and makes a sweeping motion with his arm, "Come in. Have something to drink."
It is only because Dominic deliberately opened up his senses before he approached Regina that he realizes what he is sensing from her: she is very clearly not human. She is like the earth he is so familiar with, but more real and solid and powerful and enduring than any he had sensed before. Like if she were a mighty mountain. His eyes flick down, and he realizes that she is not even separate from the earth below her feet. She is one with it, and flows like a part of it. It is only when his eyes meet her face again, and he realizes he's blushing, like he just saw her naked. But then, the earth sense is intimate in a way. It's just that the earth never had a gender before. "I mean... I mean, show. About how you do what you do. I felt you move the earth... is that something I could do? I would..." He doesn't finish his thought, but maybe he doesn't have to. It's clear that he doesn't seek power, but does seek.. well, to be helpful.
Regina considers again and says, "I will try." She starts to walk with them into the fort and it is amazing to watch. It is not so much as if she is moving over the earth, but more as if she is reforming from the earth under her feet with each step. The swirls, spirals and whirls of the earth daubed on her body change and move, colors shifting and designs flowing.
Suraksha's small smile at Dominic is affectionate, but she lets him follow them with Regina at his own pace. She turns to head back into the fort, calling Alg to come meet someone. She figures it'll be easier to have more folks keeping an eye on Stephen from within the fort, after all. Chanticleer walks with Suraksha, relaxing a little. Surely Stephan won't try anything stupid now. It'll just take time for Cullen to convince him. Dominic follows in Regina's wake, paying close attention, watching the earth and her transform as she moves. He is, unfortunately, paying more attention to her than anything else. "Amazing," he murmurs.
Suraksha will follow Cullen's escort to wherever he wants folks to be. She'll quietly suggest tea to Amelia -- it's very soothing! When Alg comes galloping up, snorting energetically, she introduces the stoat and the goblin. There's some wary bristling from the dogs, but they're keeping an eye mostly on Alg -- if he accepts the strange new entity, then they will too! Lloyd sniffs at Alg. Alg sniffs at Lloyd. There is some circling, and then the two of them scamper off with the dogs. Jenny and Regina seem amused to watch this happen. Chanticleer blinks as the stoat and goblin sniff at each other. When they run off to play, he relaxes even further. That went well!
Cullen leads them over to one of the small houses inside the fortifications where a table and a small group of chairs awaits them. Amelia bustles inside to start the tea. Now that they have some provisions, she's happy to share them. Suraksha grins at the little pack thundering happily off together, then smiles at the fae -- Chanticleer included, "Well, that went well! I'm so pleased things are going so well. Jenny, is there anything your people need that we might assist with?"
Jenny shakes her head. When she essays a small smile, her teeth are mossy green, "Tea will be welcome." She looks at the chairs, then leans on her shovel again. Regina crouches and rubs her fingers over the packed earth in front of the house, then licks her fingertips thoughtfully.
Suraksha curiously asks the nymph, "If it is not impolite to ask, why is a bog nymph out here in the mountains? With... a shovel?"
Jenny says, "Regina helps make me a bog when there's water enough. My own bog was drowned."
Suraksha blinks in startled confusion, "I am so sorry to hear that! Er... although how -- I mean, I'm afraid I do not understand how a bog could... hmm..." she's already getting that thoughtful look. She snaps her fingers, "Oh! Something like beavers damming it up, perhaps?" She grins at Cullen, trying to draw him into conversation with the nymph -- she'd like to make sure the wild fae have several friends in the fort before the caravan departs. "I'm surprised you didn't notice that occurring?"
Jenny shakes her head, "The sea took it."
Suraksha blinks again at the nymph, "The sea...? Goodness, where were you originally from, Jenny? West coast, or more southern?" She wonders if Jenny speaks of the area Roy is from.
Cullen is looking curious as well. Jenny shrugs, "I saw it happening, of course. I moved on when the sea had swallowed it completely. It was that way." She motions vaguely east and south.
Suraksha nods slowly, then smiles at Cullen, trying to give him an opening in the conversation so the two fae can try becoming friends, "Is that the area you came from also?" She knows that entire coastline changed fairly dramatically during the time of the Great Dying Off... Houston, for example, and Baton Rouge as well are both coastal or near coastal cities now. It wouldn't surprise her if an equine sidhe used to live out that way, after all.
Cullen says, "Me? I came from a lot farther away than that. But I've been there. When New Orleans was the Queen City -- when people crowded in from all over the world for Fat Tuesday." Chanticleer looks in surprise to Cullen. He'd thought it hadn't been until the Great Dying-Off that the sidhe had returned... he frowns, trying to think of the Court's history. Actually, he's not entirely sure. 'Time' was something most court-sidhe didn't have much truck with.
Jenny perks up at that and says, "Yes. That's where my bog was. Near there. Deep in the swamps."
Suraksha laughs delightedly at Cullen's words, "Oh, Fat Tuesday! Have you been to Baton Rouge for that celebration? It is great fun!" She beams at Jenny, "Oh, how lovely -- I have several very good friends there! Why did you leave? Surely there were more beautiful swamps there that could have used your assistance?"
Jenny's response is a shrug, "Others were coming this way. Humans were panicking. We looked for a place with as few humans as possible. It was like that here for a long time. Then these came."
Suraksha nods slowly to Jenny, then smiles, "Ah... so you and Cullen are close to the same age then. You must have much in common!" She glances between the two fae, adding cheerfully, "If either of you decided you wished to return to that area, you'd be welcome to travel with our caravan." When the two entities eventually start talking to each other more than just simply replying to her, Sura looks well pleased. She settles back in her chair, her small feet neatly curled under her as she sips her tea and watches in quiet pleasure. She loves seeing new friendships blossom!
Cullen and Jenny soon fall to discussing things they remember from before the Dying Off. Neither of them had much memory of being who they are now, living in the world as they did, but they do remember the place that used to be New Orleans with fondness. Chanticleer sits with Sura, keeping half an ear on the happy romping noises of Alg and the giant stoat playing, and half an eye out for Stephen -- specifically at the building Stephen had sulked off into. At Stephen's house there is a twitch of curtain now and then, but the dwarf stays inside. The whole building seems to have an aura of sulkiness.
Simultaneously with that conversation, Dominic comes over to stand next to Regina, clearly curious as to what she's doing. "Why do you taste the earth?"
Regina settles into one of the chairs, but keeps her feet on the ground, "It helps me know how it's been treated. This earth has been walked on much. There is soil from as far away as Kennituck right here. It has not been poisoned. But it is not happy."
Dominic blinks at Regina's explanation, and takes a seat as well. "Being trod on makes the earth unhappy? Or do you speak of something else." The idea of it is confusing to him, as everything on land must use the earth as a platform for moving. It's certainly different to think the earth has emotions. He has never sensed such, though Regina is clearly closer to it than he has ever been.
Regina knits her brow as she tries to think of how to explain it, "It's not angry, but it has been walked on too much. Nothing grows here now."
Dominic ohs -- and Ohs. He looks grim then, starting to understand the frustration of the fae. Civilization would seem to get in the way of nature. It would not even end with cities; all the trappings of civilization would affect it. Buildings, over-farming, roads. He frames his next question carefully. "Does it make you unhappy, then?" he asks gently.
Regina sighs softly and says, "It makes me sad, sometimes. Earth cannot simply be earth all the time. People and creatures live on it. Grow from it. Go back to it, but for those people to exist, earth has to give way. It does not like giving way for those that don't understand it." She smiles and leans over, sliding a hand through the ground up to mid-forearm, "If you love it and it loves you, it will gladly let you through."
Suraksha stares in abrupt fascination at Regina -- so that's what Bringer meant by moving through earth like water! Dominic just sits there a time, absorbing this knowledge Regina gives him. It seems so enormous, and yet so simple at the same time. Love does give you power over things, even if the real power is that the focus of your love wants to do things for you. You do not make them do your bidding -- it wants what you want. To love the earth though; it sounds impossible. The earth is just... so big. Yet isn't that what some say love of God is? "I think I understand, a bit," he says slowly. "You can't explain or teach love. You can only experience it."
Regina smiles and pulls her hand from the earth. There are particles clinging to her arm and hand, but she doesn't dust them off, "Exactly. You can't explain love. But you know it when you feel it." Her crystalline teeth flash in the light, "I think you know love."
Dominic looks a little bashful, brushing the hair from his face that his hat usually keeps out of his way. "You can't be..." he trails off, as he bites back the word 'human,' "whole, and not know love. I wouldn't have a family without it, neither." He knows he's wrinkling his hat again, and changes topics slightly. "What about you? Are you like a part of the earth, or are you merely kin to it? Would you enjoy things like... food? Tea?" he queries, as the hot beverage was mentioned recently.
As if at mention of it, the young woman and the tea arrive together. Both wild fae women thank Amelia in a way which Chanticleer recognizes as very formal and old-fashioned, even for sidhe. Regina smiles, "Kin, yes. Which means we have some of the same blood. But don't they say all men are brothers? All things that walk upon the earth are kin in a way. Your bones are stone. Your blood is iron. You are kin, too."
Dominic opens his mouth, then closes it, giving a slight head tilt in the understanding of this simple truth. "And yet we seem so very different. Perhaps that is a false difference, though. I would say that we want different things, but that's not really true at the heart of it. We just go about seeking them in different ways... and because we do not understand that we are all part of the same source, we do not properly consider the needs and feelings of all things around us, that look nothing like us," he muses, more to himself. He looks into her eyes then, and smiles through his beard. "You have given me much to consider. I thank you for your words."
Regina smiles and says, "I thank you for listening. Perhaps after the tea I can try to show you how to feel your way to moving earth?" Suraksha beams at that -- she knows how much Dominic wishes to learn more! Dominic nods eagerly.
The tea is served in mismatched but sturdy mugs with sugar but no cream. Amelia apologizes for the lack, then blushes, realizing the people she's apologizing to are the reason for there being no cream. Still, Jenny and Regina are polite and drink the tea with every sign of appreciation. Dominic tends to prefer tea only sweetened anyway... tea is soothing, and reminds him of home. He would sit with his mother in front of the fire and drink tea, because it brought him closer to her.
Once tea is done Regina takes Dom aside to try and show him how to feel his way into moving the earth. Suraksha remains relaxedly curled up in her chair, sipping her tea with enjoyment and quietly whispering advice to those of her people who come discreetly up to her with all the small daily issues which arise for the caravan. Chanticleer is starting to get a little concerned. Either Stephan has elevated sulking to an art form, or he's up to something. But, the sidhe notes, some people can sulk for days at a time.
It takes some time. Dominic knows the earth and can feel it, but he hasn't quite reached the point of truly treating it like kin. It resists his trying to move it for a good long while. By the time he finally manages to make a divot in the earth just by wishing it so, the tea has been cleared away and Lloyd and Alg have slunk over. The stoat curls up near Regina and the goblin flops against the stoat. Suraksha has some time since quietly thanked Amelia for the tea and headed off back to work. She's immensely pleased with how well things have gone this day!
Dominic has to admit having made the logical leaps that he did to see things from Regina's point of view was impressive enough... but actualizing them in his mind takes a little more. For a moment he wonders if it would be easier for him to relate to Regina because she at least looks like a person. Then he realizes how vastly inappropriate that would be -- and refuses to explain when she asks him about the color he turned. When Dom manages to finally move the earth, Regina hugs him, leaving little smears of earth on his clothes, "You're learning! Think of her as a long-lost sister. She will respond more easily!" She stands up, "We should return. The others will worry, even with the gate open."
Dominic nods agreeably, and then a thought occurs to him. "If the earth gets sick, does that sickness affect you too? I mean physically, not just emotionally?"
Regina's face registers unhappiness as she says, "I have been near sick earth. I became ill. It was not pleasant. I wanted to help heal it, but it was too deep-down sick. Only time will fix that."
Dominic grimaces. "So you could help it in small ways, but not big ways. I take it the same would be true for me?"
Regina says, "I can help some hurts, but not all." She shakes her head, "Do not try to heal sick earth. Not yet. You're young and you're learning." The earth nymph touches Dom's face, "Practice. You'll become more familiar with your kin. We should go." Dominic nods quietly, and when Regina takes her hand away he feels no immediate urge to brush away the dirt she left behind.
Regina, Jenny, and Lloyd are eventually preparing to leave. Dominic makes a special point of hugging Regina goodbye, thank her for what she's taught, and promising to teach it to others. Jenny seems almost reluctant to end her conversation with Cullen, and Cullen himself makes promises to come see the wild fae very soon. Suraksha emerges from where she'd been helping Fantine, Mamma Minta, and Sabrina in cleaning out the big community wagon -- with her hair tied up in a scarf and sudsy water hastily rinsed off her hands -- to say cheerful goodbyes to the wild fae, and to thank them for their help. She's immensely pleased again to see both Cullen's and Dominic's reactions.
It takes a day or two for everything to be settled and taken care of; Stephen doesn't emerge from his house until it's time for the caravan to move on and the last bits of business are being wrapped up. His signature is required on some documents, which he gives with some grumbling. Suraksha wonders idly at just how grumpy 'civilized' dwarves are -- the few she'd met were (while less well-dressed and gentlemanly in behavior) far, far friendlier. She simply smiles and shrugs, though; Stephen isn't her concern, and she has more than enough to deal with, with simply caravan business. Chanticleer is somewhat relieved to see Stephen at last, and silently marvels that the dwarf has been sulking all this time. Suraksha giggles when she spots Chanti's expression, whispering to him, "Impressive, isn't he?"
Chanticleer nods soberly. "A magnificent display," he murmurs back. "I suspect there are some fey of the Court who would be envious." Suraksha laughs again at that, her eyes sparkling -- but she says no more, not wishing to offend the grumpy supernatural.
The practice and time he can get between his chores for the caravan stand Dominic in good stead. Before they leave he's able to move sections of earth the size of a large cookpot. While that may not seem much compared to Regina's earthworking, it takes enormous effort for Dom and is more than he has heard of from other Earth Taps. The trading post isn't able to give the caravan much in the way of provisions, but they give them much in the way of well-wishes. It's the wild fae that help with food and water. On the day they intend to leave, Jenny appears at the eastward gate of the post. Suraksha smiles and waves to the bog nymph, "Jenny, hello! Did you decide to travel back south with us?" She grins cheerfully, "Is Cullen with you?"
Jenny smiles her mossy smile and says, "Not this time. But it is something I am thinking on with great longing. Perhaps I will find a bog near this new Queen City." She motions to several bundles at her feet, "Cullen helped me with these. He is gone east to hunt." The bundles turn out to be jerky, dried grains, and fruit leather. "It is not the best of food, but it will sustain you. We will bring more of it to the traders, since they have promised to keep the dwarf from burning."
Chanticleer brightens at the food, and bows to the nymph. "Thank you for this gift!" he says. "It'll be very, very welcome when we cross the Pass again!"
While Ohkwari calmly hoists the bundles to his shoulders for packing into various wagons, Suraksha thanks the swamp nymph with a very sincere hug, uncaring of any moss or dampness it might leave on her clothing. "We really appreciate this, Jenny -- it helps immensely!" She grins, adding, "Say hi to Lloyd from us all -- Alg says he's welcome to come along any time he'd like too. Thank you also for helping out the traders; they need it even more than we." She hesitates, then checks carefully, "There'll be enough for them, yes? I don't want to take the food if it might mean the difference between comfortable survival or not, after all."
Dominic can immediately see the usefulness of even this small earthworking. He practices over and over, that simple act. Well, as much as he can, since the effort leaves him sweaty and tired. When you can sense the earth like this, and you need to dig holes, you can know exactly where to dig without disturbing important things like roots, or animal burrows, or such. But really, his overall focus is not on making holes. It's about filling them in. Holes are very important in regards to a caravan. He's tired when Ohkwari taps him to help pack the gifts from Jenny, but doesn't complain! The foodstuffs offered are most welcome, considering he bargained away some of their own to Amelia.
Jenny shakes her head, "Lloyd would do you no favors. He is not..." she makes a seesawing motion with her hand, "even-headed. Sometimes he is mean." The bog-woman adds, "They will not starve as long as they keep their bargain. You should have taken the dwarf away with you. He is an old one and he will sulk, I think."
Suraksha sighs in commiseration to Jenny's statement, "While I understand, we can't kidnap him -- it wouldn't be right." She thinks a moment, then brightens, "You know, you might try suggesting to Cullen that he talk with Stephen about how much better the trading is over the mountains, in San Francisco? There are a lot of humans there, and many ships come in and out all the time."
"I am sure the inside of his room will be very impressed with his diligence." Dom says as he passes by with his load. Sura tchs at Dominic, her lips curling slightly at the corners in a wry smile.
Jenny's smile softens slightly, "Cullen is a sensible one, and honorable. I will talk with him about this." She watches as they load the bundles, "I would suggest you stay close to the trail as you go east the next day or so. It is not safe for humans off the road."
Suraksha glances thoughtfully at Jenny, from where she'd been watching Zachariah tossing bundles up to Ohkwari, "Indeed? Whyso, please? Are there many potholes off the beaten path?"
Jenny shakes her head, "There are people out there that call this place their own. They live close to the land, so we leave them be. But they are stealthy and they do not like other humans wandering off the road." She is likely speaking of the various tribes that claim much of the open west as their own -- one of which Poly and Pippa came from.
Suraksha says, "Oh, you mean the Amazon tribes?" She grins, "We have two who travel with us, actually -- but you are correct, yes. We try not to impinge on their land as much as possible. It's only polite, after all."
It's been about half a year since Roseville and Bringer of Night and Passion, and the caravan is traveling through what used to be known as eastern Texas, but is now just the southeastern borderlands of the Great Plains, which belong to the wild, nomadic equestrian tribes who claim and fiercely defend it. The plains truly are 'great' now, too, stretching in a wide, broad swathe through the continent from what used to be Montana and North Dakota, down through parts of Minnesota and South Dakota, then encompassing Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, parts of Missouri, then deeper south through what used to be Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas... finally washing through part of northern (former) Mexico. The caravan is getting close to the lands near Baton Rouge, and Suraksha is starting to happily anticipate seeing Roy in a month or two.
The terrain is thickly wooded and beautiful, with the winding path leading through pleasantly shadowed groves, and a river flowing nearby. Were there any small settlements here, the Sarmatians of the Great Plains would be happy to trade with them... but there just aren't enough people in the world to settle all the good spots, and so this lovely area is still quite wild. However, there are small towns nearby, and Bradley sent trade goods to several of them -- and the caravan has obligingly included them in this year's traveling. This would be prime territory for bandits as well, however, so the guards are alert... but curiously, in all the decades the caravan has traveled here, they've never seen hide nor hair of robbers. Interestingly though, in each of the towns they stopped at they were repeatedly warned to beware angering the forest's protector.
Consequently, when a gorgeously patterned big cat steps out of the underbrush a short distance ahead of the caravan's lead wagon, lays something down on the ground, and then pads back yet further before sitting down and waiting... Del is armed and wary, but cautious. She sends Daniel running down the length of the wagon train to tell everyone to stop and remain alert, and to ask Suraksha to come to the front. Shortly thereafter Sura has tentatively identified the cat as a jaguar, based on a few sightings of Roy's young kitten. It's definitely not a leopard -- that she knows for sure -- and she has no idea who it might be or what it wants.
After some time pooling information and comparing notes, the people of the caravan have shared with each other that jaguars are the third largest of the big cat species, and stay on the ground a lot as they get bigger and older. At that point they're so stockily muscular that they almost have a bit of a 'waddle' look to their walk. Everyone is also fairly sure this big cat isn't going to attack, since a) it hasn't moved yet, b) jaguars tend to be ambush hunters, and c) jaguars tend to avoid humans when possible... so an open approach like this means it's at the very least not hunting. They've also concluded this is a damn big specimen! It looks like it's maybe twice as large as the average jaguar encountered on the trail.
Alg scampers forward to grab whatever it was the big cat left, while Del and Sura cover him with crossbows. The big jaguar hasn't moved at all, simply continuing to calmly observe, and Alg returns to hand Sura a large piece of worked gold shaped like a jaguar in (although Sura does not know it) the Mayan art style. The lovely piece is inlaid, with the spots in jet, lapis lazuli claws, ivory teeth, and ruby eyes. It is as Suraksha is puzzledly examining the gorgeous golden item that a smooth, purring voice murmurs in her head, "I am trying to reach Priestess Sulochana Xopuchmata. Are you she?"
Suraksha is initially startled, but pulls herself together and starts talking with the big cat, who calls himself Onca. He can't physically speak any human tongues, but he can communicate mentally with anyone within eyesight. It comes out later as well that he can 'call' to worshippers, although he doesn't currently have any. When Sura asks how he knew her name, he explains that Bringer of Night and Passion mentioned her favorably, and now the jaguar would also like to hire Sulochana Xopuchmata as a Hetaera. That surprises Sura; she hadn't realized the minor deities could communicate so swiftly -- or that a non-humanoid would be interested in a Hetaera!
The big jaguar has been following the caravan for a few days, checking to make sure this is the right one. However, once Sura realizes this is going to take a while, she requests that Onca lead them to the nearest wagon-accessible clearing suitable for camping. After everyone is settled for the night, the jaguar and the Hetaera sit down by the campfire to negotiate.
Onca is large even for a sapient jaguar, and wears the tawny and black fur gorgeously. It turns out he is a minor god/totem spirit, like Bradley but from Central America: a great big-cat that doesn't see humans as food, with lots of fur and muscle and big rumbly sounds. He is offering suit to the Hetaera because he wishes reverence and companionship from her... and Bringer of Night and Passion has reported that she gifts both with great joy and pleasure!
Onca is equally frank and honest about desires and enjoyments when Sulochana carefully inquires: clean skin, soft hair. He enjoys lazily drawing his tongue over the woman's skin and nuzzling into the places where heat and scent collect: the hollows of her hips, the ticklish armpits, the undersides of her small breasts. Interestingly, she finds it easier to talk to non-humans about sexual desires, since they don't have the cultural baggage humans do about it being taboo. There are other things they find taboo, of course, but not sex -- especially when you cannot lie with scent regarding sexual interest. Consequently, to 'Chana the jaguar sounds strangely, deliciously sensual.
As the two of them negotiate, 'Chana is glad Onca isn't too close to Roy's territory -- because she knows if she's in Roy's territory but not spending time with him, the Cajun king will be quite put out! Sura can't help smiling as she remembers him drawling to her once, "Goddammit, cherie, doan mind sharin', me -- but not whiles ya can be wid me!" She's also faintly amused to realize she, of a minor goddess line, seems to attract an awful lot of other minor deities. Then again, she decides, that does make sense -- since as soon as one of them realizes she is someone they will not accidentally harm, who can offer them some sensual release and help them feel better and stronger... the word will get around. She's rather pleased to be able to offer that -- even if she'd been initially startled to discover a quadruped was interested in her services!
Payment turns out to be easier than expected. Onca had led his people north before the Great Dying Off, to save them from a particularly virulent outbreak of the plague, centuries ago. They'd carried their goods with them, including the gorgeously worked gold they crafted in his honor. Since then his people had suffered slow attrition, or simply wandered off over the years. He's still got the gold, but not the worshippers... and he needs the reverence.
'Chana is pleased -- Onca sounds like he will be as much a sensual delight as Bringer, and he's in a good location near her usual yearly path. She's happy to accept his offer, even if she's a little nervous. Further, should Onca remain happy with her, and enough decades pass, perhaps she'll even let him discover she is a tiger shifter. He might really love that! At least initially, however, she plans to remain humanoid for him, just as she does for Bradley.
She's also deeply saddened to hear Onca is all alone in the world, especially since it's clear he can shift territories. She doesn't want to leave him lonely, so she definitely invites him to travel along with the company for a while, until he finds a new place to settle. He thanks her, but explains his hopeful plans to attract new people to his territory... starting with letting the caravan know that he's here, and willing to protect those who are willing to share their reverence with him. Consequently 'Chana finds herself also idly turning over in her mind whether she knows of any small settlement nearby which needs protection and nurturing. Might they wish to come to Onca, or perhaps he might extend his territory to cover their terrain?
Later that night the two are tangled together in a sensual mingle of woman and jaguar, nestled within a warm, dark space with a small fire and a big, sturdy blanket for Suraksha to lie upon. One heavy feline foreleg lays over her stomach, while Onca's head is raised up, outer eyelids half-closed, nictitating membranes also half-closed as she scritches lazily through the fur under his chin, relaxing after coupling. His tail lays over her bare legs, the tip flicking lazily.
It's only once the caravan is once more traveling onwards, a day later, that some oddly intriguing ideas occur to the Hetaera. Did Bradley deliberately send trade items into areas where he knows other deities reside, to attempt to help them as well? Perhaps he's even letting them know he needs a bit of assistance with establishing more trading networks at this point, just as he's helped them in the past -- and perhaps is helping them even now, with the news about Sulochana? Sura blinks, abruptly wondering if that's one of the reasons someone as (in)famous as the White Dagger accompanies the caravan -- so that Sna'thaid can be a diplomatic 'reaching out' from Fearsome Grandmother, extended to other minor deities?
[Previous Log] [Index] [Next Log]