01-04-2018, 10:47 PM
He frowned down at her. He'd thought that when they came of age they might have the equivalent of a christening, a mitzvah, a holy dedication. When did they take their wounds? The burns on Illarion's face. A missing tongue. Castration. Were these not part of such a ceremony?
Still, they were her people. And he knew she would not hide the way from him, if there had been one.
Her hands were in his, rough and calloused and yet tender for all of that. She stepped close into his space. He felt the heat from her against his bare chest.
Was this invitation? His eyes searched hers for a clue. The emerald dark green eyes held no clear answer. Perhaps she did not know. At times, he felt she was his Hydra, for him to wrestle and fight, only for him to be bitten again and again by a head he'd missed.
And he relished the thought, that imagery. Such a woman was a leopard, a lionness, glorious. But beyond the fight and all it represented, he could see something far deeper. A potential for something great. Two people, complete equals, with strengths and weakness, challenging, pushing each other, helping the other to grow. Supporting the other. A worm of pleasure wound its way up through his chest, spread downward at the same time. A true partnership.
Bound, all as one. Support. Was there something she needed from him?
He paused, remembering, a memory tickling the back of his mind. They were in the cavern of the Sacred. She was sharing their history. "I am untouched by radenyi still."
Had there been a whistfulness there, in her eyes? In that word? Still.
It seemed to hang in the air. Again later. "Radenyi is sacred."
Sacred to the Khylsty...And yet it was denied her. She was of the group, leader, Eye of the Khylsty, and yet not fully allowed to participate. Did she long for it?
Their sacred ecstasy. That was how they were bonded as one. The idea was familiar anthropologically- many cultures living in deep isolation and hardship found in the ritual the bond to give them strength and purpose- and yet....It was deeply, profoundly and personally so very alien to him.
There was an element of submission in the ritual, of surrendering completely something very private for all to see. Neither was a thing he ever felt comfortable with. Neither submission nor surrender. Indeed, that was the entire point of the ritual, the complete subsuming of the individual into the group. Total one-ness.
And it has been denied her.
He couldn't help but notice his heart was beating faster. Was this something he could do for her? He took a deep breath, searching his heart.
Was he strong enough, to help her achieve this long held dream?
To be bound as one to this people....to this single woman...this Valeriya....
"Radenyi?" was all he said as he stared down into her eyes, looking for the flash of light that said he was correct.
Edited by Regus, Jan 5 2018, 12:30 PM.
Still, they were her people. And he knew she would not hide the way from him, if there had been one.
Her hands were in his, rough and calloused and yet tender for all of that. She stepped close into his space. He felt the heat from her against his bare chest.
Was this invitation? His eyes searched hers for a clue. The emerald dark green eyes held no clear answer. Perhaps she did not know. At times, he felt she was his Hydra, for him to wrestle and fight, only for him to be bitten again and again by a head he'd missed.
And he relished the thought, that imagery. Such a woman was a leopard, a lionness, glorious. But beyond the fight and all it represented, he could see something far deeper. A potential for something great. Two people, complete equals, with strengths and weakness, challenging, pushing each other, helping the other to grow. Supporting the other. A worm of pleasure wound its way up through his chest, spread downward at the same time. A true partnership.
Bound, all as one. Support. Was there something she needed from him?
He paused, remembering, a memory tickling the back of his mind. They were in the cavern of the Sacred. She was sharing their history. "I am untouched by radenyi still."
Had there been a whistfulness there, in her eyes? In that word? Still.
It seemed to hang in the air. Again later. "Radenyi is sacred."
Sacred to the Khylsty...And yet it was denied her. She was of the group, leader, Eye of the Khylsty, and yet not fully allowed to participate. Did she long for it?
Their sacred ecstasy. That was how they were bonded as one. The idea was familiar anthropologically- many cultures living in deep isolation and hardship found in the ritual the bond to give them strength and purpose- and yet....It was deeply, profoundly and personally so very alien to him.
There was an element of submission in the ritual, of surrendering completely something very private for all to see. Neither was a thing he ever felt comfortable with. Neither submission nor surrender. Indeed, that was the entire point of the ritual, the complete subsuming of the individual into the group. Total one-ness.
And it has been denied her.
He couldn't help but notice his heart was beating faster. Was this something he could do for her? He took a deep breath, searching his heart.
Was he strong enough, to help her achieve this long held dream?
To be bound as one to this people....to this single woman...this Valeriya....
"Radenyi?" was all he said as he stared down into her eyes, looking for the flash of light that said he was correct.
Edited by Regus, Jan 5 2018, 12:30 PM.