• Closed • [Almund] Snowfall (Lakia)

[Delta]

11th Day of Cylus
717th Arc

Lying on a low stone wall, a young woman appeared to be sleeping. The wide smile on her face made it clear to anyone passing that she was not asleep, however. She was not wearing a coat or a cloak of any sort, just a blouse and three-quarter length trousers. In this cold weather, where the snow was falling heavily, she was obviously shivering, and was attaching a number of odd glances. For her part, Delta was blissfully unaware of the stares she was receiving. The girl’s eyes were open, pupils barely the size of pinpricks as they stared up at the bright, grey-white sky.

She could feel certain amount of ice in her belly. It was melting slowly, sending trickles of ice-water all up and down her veins. It never seemed to warm, despite the thread through her body. It was unlike the sensations she had experienced in Etzos, where the trickle throughout her whole body felt just a tad warmer.

But despite the cold tingling racing through her nerves, Delta also felt content, and there was a warm energy slowly setting over her. Everything felt slo clear, like she could see each individual snowflake that was falling around her, right from the clouds, all the way down to her nose. She was able to do this because everything had slowed down to the point where she could really focus on the individual patterns of each snowflake falling. They truly were beautiful… she supposed a true winter this far north (which she had never really experienced on the Eolian, her father’s trade ship) wasn’t so bad after all.

Delta felt heavy as she lay on the wall - her arms were weak and could not left the weight of her own hands, let alone push her torso up into a sitting position. But… at the same time, she felt as if she was floating. It wasn’t… euphoric, exactly. But it was nice. Calm. Peaceful.

Yes, Delta felt at peace with the world. For these brief moments every few days, she could forget that she had been abducted from her home, that she had been torn away from her beloved father and the crew which made up the rest of her family. She could forget that she was a slave, bound to a Master. She could forget that she had nothing of her own, nor anywhere to go. For now, she was at peace.

[Lakia Amaranthine]

Lakia grumbled to herself as she wandered through the streets and alley's of Almund, looking for Delta. She hadn't seen her slave since she had given her the Psinia. She didn't believe for a moment that Delta had simply taken the drug and run, which is why Lakia was mostly looking at the walls and streets as opposed to the people. She fully expected to find her companion in a drug-induced high barely aware of her surroundings, which explained the blanket she was carrying. Delta didn't keep track of her surroundings and the dangers thereof when she was high.

Eventually, she finally came across Delta laying on a wall, looking for all the world as if she was asleep. Lakia walked up to her, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw that her slave was still breathing. Throwing the blanket over her companion, Lakia let out a slow sigh. "I know I was crabby on the ship, but that's no reason for you to freeze to death." she said, before pausing. "I still need you, Ellie." she said, her voice, and face if Delta looked, showing a vulnerability that she always felt, but rarely allowed to show.

The relationship between the two women had always been an odd variant of the master/slave dynamic. True, Delta was physically dependent on the "modified" psinia that Lakia provided her, but Lakia herself was completely emotionally dependent on the slave she considered a friend. Of course, there was no other the two of them could function. Lakia had learned long ago that the only person she could ever trust was one she had complete control over. Free people were always looking to get what they could out of the people around them, and if it cost them, so much the better.

"We'd better get you back to the inn to warm up, Ellie." she said, before she paused again, then continued in a quiet voice. "I'm sorry for biting your head off so much on the ship." she said. Her quietness wasn't born of reluctance, but of shame. She had acted so much like her mother on the trip that it hurt, and the memory tore at her, the fear that she could be as cruel as her mother had been a fear she would now never shake.

[Delta]

The voice sounded distant, as if there was a wall of glass between her and the speaker, muffling it. Delta did not immediately open her eyes, but moaned a half-hearted protest at the weight of the itchy blanket which suddenly covered her body without warning. As always, it grounded her; the blanket was heavy enough to counter-act the weightlessness which descended upon the slave each time she took Psinia. Moments ago, the sensation of floating had felt so wonderful, so freeing. But now, with instant hindsight, Delta found herself frightened by the lack of control that was associated with the weightlessness. She dragged the blanket closer to her chin and breathed deeply.

The disembodied voice continued, and the auburn-haired slave opened her eyes, which now shone bright turquoise in her intoxicated state, to look upon her mistress. “You need a slave, Lakia.” Her words were not slurred, but they were exceedingly lethargic, as everything continued to move slowly around her. A momentary flare of frustration sparked inside Delta at the naer’s use of her nickname - she had always hated the familiarity that was insinuated with this name. “You wanted a slave because you can’t make friends on your own. So you needed a companion who had no choice in the matter. And I happened to be the one you were given.”

The words were not accusatory, just matter of face, spoken in a monotonous tone. Despite the haze, however, Delta noticed the look, which was one of loneliness, which fell upon her mistress’ features. She was surprised to feel sympathy for the person who kept her captive. She felt regret for the words that had fallen from her lips. Groaning, the slave pushed herself up and readjusted the blanket so that it was no wrapped around her shoulders. “Sorry, Mistress.” Part of her meant it, for once. She doubted Lakia would react with any form of punishment; it was very rare that the naer actually asserted any of the true dominance that Delta had experienced in Augiery. But she was not willing to test the woman’s limits, regardless.

What amazed Delta most was Lakia’s willingness to apologise to her. Here, she had a mistress who actually gave a damn about how she treated her property. The woman was an enigma. Delta kicked at the snow on the ground as she continued to focus on her breathing for a while. When Lakia suggested returning to the inn, Delta’s only sign of acknowledgement was to shakily stand up. When intoxicated, it was the only time that Delta would obey without question, or even thought. Even though she wasn’t cold anymore. “Why do you keep me like this?” she muttered sullenly as she hitched the blanket tighter around her shoulder.

[Lakia Amaranthine]

Lakia merely shrugged at Delta's correction of her words. The biqaj girl wasn't wrong, in fact she was pretty much dead on, though Lakia suspected that Delta didn't really understand why Lakia did the things she did. When she apologized, however, Lakia raised an eyebrow. "If it's the words, don't worry. You're pretty close to correct. If it's for disappearing for ten days, you're forgiven." she said, smiling slightly as they started back towards the inn. At Delta's question, though, Lakia remained silent for a bit before answering.

"If you're asking why I keep you drugged, honestly, it wouldn't have been my choice for methods of control. While I won't deny it's effective, it can be...troublesome at times." she said, before looking at the blanket. "If you're asking why I'm keeping you warm, well, I don't particularly want you to freeze to death." Then Lakia sighed and hesitated before answering again. "If you're asking why I keep you a slave, that's...a little more complicated." she said.

In the past, Lakia had generally refused to answer any sort of question like this. Now, however, she remembered that her mother had never once answered any such questions either, and she shuddered. How often had she followed her mothers terrible examples in dealing with Delta. "But I'll try my best to answer." she said, quietly. She didn't speak for a moment more, and when she did, it was with great difficulty.

"I learned, from a very early age, that the only person anyone can ever trust is someone is if they control them. Completely." she said, before taking a long, shuddering breath. "I grew up in the forests outside Augiery. The day we met was the only time I've ever been inside the city. The only people I saw on a regular basis were my parents. Dad...dad was a slave. He taught me...everything. How to survive, how to hunt, how to cook. Mother, though, she hated both of us. I was as familiar with her whip and her knife as dad was, and anyone who happened to come by..." she paused for a moment and a muscle in her jaw worked.

"Either they were as cruel to us as my mother was, or she murdered them for their stuff. Even some of the cruel ones, what she called friends, she'd kill if the opportunity presents itself." she said, her tone angry before she calmed down. "But my dad, and the other slaves, they...they were kind. To me and each other. I could trust them. When my parents died, I went to Augiery...and I saw the same thing. The slaves could be trusted, but the freeborn...the freeborn only cared about themselves." she said, before looking over at Delta.

"I don't expect you to trust me. Honestly, I do understand that you hate me, and why you do. But I keep you like this, because like this, you're the only person I'll ever be able to trust. The only person I can let near me." she said, her voice still quiet, pitched so only Delta could hear her.

[Delta]

Not all of Lakia’s words penetrated through the fog that still rested heavily upon Delta’s mind; though she had asked the questions, the intoxicated slave made no particular effort to listen to her mistress. She was in a pleasant state of euphoria, a place where everything was a little bit less saturated in colour than normal. The biqaj blinked as a snowflake fell upon her eyelash, threatening a cold sting on her eye. “If not drugs then what?” She girl giggled, it started out light and false, but soon overwhelmed her to become borderline hysterical. “Whips and promise of pain? You already have me in chains.”

Her fingers glided gently over the thin bangle collar that was secured around her neck. Then the tips found her scab and, as always, her fingernails instantly started searching for purchase on the rough surface. The tension in her muscles rose as she tried to pull against it, freeing the scab from the skin. “The drugs cause enough pain… you know. I don’t think you could handle it, Mistress.” She breathed out the words, but there was an element of seriousness to her tone. A matter-of-fact manner which was rarely seen in the free-spirited biqaj.

“Trust…” Delta whispered, as she finally managed to pull the snap free. Her face twisted in pain as it pulled at the skin, leaving behind a raw, irritated surface below. She stared intently at the scab, examining its every colour and jagged edge, before discarding it to the snow covered floor beside the wall. “So what you’re saying is… I cannot trust you? If you control me you trust me. But I don’t control you.” Delta listened to the other woman’s tale, but found little interest in it. She could not excuse her behaviour.

What almost made it worse was the knowledge that Lakia has witnessed first hand the suffering of a slave, and still determined to keep one for herself. “Dogs are gentle to the hand that feeds them, Lakia,” Delta shivered as she shifted, growing uncomfortable. “My Mistress feeds me Psinia… which keeps me… uh… functioning now… so I do not bite her hand. But… I would never have bitten your hand… had we met before your people did this to me.”

It was simple really: the root cause of her anger was this invisible cage she was confined to. The frustration at even being incapable of considering fleeing was maddening to Delta. She fell silent as she bit her lip, considering how best to put that into words in a language she was struggling to learn. The tension rose again and she once again began tracing her marker skin with her fingertips. “It’s… not nice when you have nowhere to go. I stay because the choice was taken away. Maybe if I had the choice… I would have stayed anyway?” There was a sad, fatigued quality to her tone. Wistful, and self-pitying, as she thought that she would never trust Lakia, not after this. But she would not deny that it could have been.

[Lakia Amaranthine]

When Delta asked Lakia how she would control her if not with drugs, Lakia grimaced slightly. Truth was, she had no idea how she'd control Delta without the drugs. Delta's suggestion wasn't an option, but she nodded when Delta commented that she couldn't handle it. "You're right, I couldn't. I know...I know how those feel myself. I'd have the scars still, if Naer could scar." she said, grimacing.

Then she looked over at Delta and saw that she was picking at her scabs again. That resulted in the Naer quite firmly reaching over and taking hold of her hands. "None of that now." she said, her tone pained. Part of the reason she hated the drugs was that she hated seeing the Biqaj like this. "And no, I've never expected you to trust me. If I were to tell you how to make the key to the Psinia, I fully expect that you'd leave me. At best. Attack or kill me at worst." she said, absolutely bluntly. After all, that was what free people did. Used the people around them, then discarded them when they became inconvenient.

When Delta talked about what could have been, what they could have had, Lakia looked away. "No, Delta. You wouldn't have. I'd have driven you away out of fear. Even if you never did anything, never gave me reason, I would have distrusted you, been afraid of you. And because of it, I would have attacked you, driven by a need to get you away from me."

[Delta]

The slave pulled half-heartedly to try to free her hand from Lakia’s grip. Her muscles ached to remove all blemishes from her skin, but the drugs barely allowed her to be lucid, and the sensation passed more quickly than usual. She stilled her movements and allowed it to rest in her Mistress’ own hands. “These are not scars, Mistress,” muttered the slave in response, “Well, not the kind you can see with the eyes. These are inside, where you can’t see. It hurts inside.” She tapped her chest, punctuating her final word.

She doubted Lakia would ever be able to understand. If they thought long and hard, they would both come to the same conclusion - that Delta’s first, and only, master was the drug. Lakia was just the messenger, really. Were all the naerikk race like this, when it came to cultivating friendships, or even relationships? Delta was glad to be a biqaj, at least she had known actual loyalty. “It is a very sad life to have, not trusting people.”

The shivering became a bit more prominent, as the drug, which had kept her in a warm and comforting cocoon, began to leave her system, letting her down from her high. As he body became heavier, her awareness and alertness heightened. “I’m cold, Mistress,” she said softly, tired of their conversation. It was not the first time they had spoken like this, not the first time Lakia had tried this openness with Delta. She had heard it all before, or something similar.

It was moments like this, during the end of a high, where Delta lost all wilfulness. This was when she was at her most pliable. To anyone watching them, as Delta shuffled to pull herself closer to Lakia’s warm body, they would see a scene of physical kinship. Completely vulnerable, Delta would allow herself to be manoeuvred by her owner, ironically trusting her with her safety and wellbeing. “I want to go back now.”

[Aeon]

Delta

Skill Knowledge:

Discipline: Don't Bite the Hand that Feeds You
Endurance: Dealing with Invisible Scars
Endurance: The Pain of Psinia
Fieldcraft: Psinia Masks Cold

Other Knowledge:

Lakia: Had a Cruel Upbringing
Lakia: Needs a Slave for Companionship
Lakia: Trusts No One
Naerikk: Drug Their Slaves for Obedience
Psinia: Blissful Unawareness
Psinia: Depressant
Race: Naerikk

Loot:

N/A

Injuries:

N/A

Fame:

N/A

Devotion:

N/A

Magic:

These points can NOT be used for Domain Magic

Points awarded:

15

Lakia

Skill Knowledge:

Discipline: Apologising for Wrongdoings
Discipline: Knowing My Limits of Trust
Discipline: Reasoning with a Slave
Fieldcraft: Wet Clothes are Bad in the Cold
Storytelling: My Own History

Other Knowledge:

Delta: Impassive and Unresponsive when High
Delta: Doesn't Trust Me
Delta: Self-Neglectful When High
Psinia: Depressant

Loot:

N/A

Injuries:

N/A

Fame:

N/A

Devotion:

N/A

Magic:

These points can NOT be used for Domain Magic

Points awarded:

15

Comment:

Man this is sad.

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