Resentment of the Irrelavant

[m_k_tksa 0]

Resentment of the Irrelavant

Daise Erei’Riovs t’Ksa & tr’Aieme

 

“Fhaen, promise me au will na y’ya me but...”

 

What a first greeting. Na ‘Jolan tru’. Na warm embrace. Na smile, na even a sheepish io. Instead ‘promise me au will na y’ya me...’ followed with a whithering look. When io’s potential mate greets io with these words, io can na help but be concerned.

 

“What?” Morgana warily stared at Maec tr’Aeime as he ushered her into his private office. The two had been conversing on a more frequent basis as Talon drew closer to ch’Rihan. While the conversations themselves amounted to nothing more than idle chatter and gossip; they had been invaluable to t’Ksa’s sanity and perhaps the health of the Enarrain himself. For with ever comm call t’Ksa had she a slightly diminished need to pop the spoiled sulky man’s arms off like a demented Eikoow. However if tr’Aieme was about to deliver bad news, Morgana would have to rethink her position on reckless (although thoroughly gratifying) violence. “What?”

 

“Apparently, like au rinam, my rinam also fails to keep secrets,” Maec abashedly winced as he offered the Daise’Maenak a seat.

 

“What?” Na completely following the conversation, t’Ksa was confused until she realized what he was inferring. In io of their previous conversations, she’d had elicited a promise from tr’Aieme to na discuss the ceremonial plans with her rinams, especially Lannisal t’Ksa who was more than a little excited by her eldest sister’s betrothal. Apparently Morgana should have been more specific and excluded both Houses in their entirety. Morgana exasperatedly exhaled. “What happened?”

 

“I was trying to reassure Mhai that the while the plans for the merger were temporarily on hold, they were by no means outright canceled. I told her that we’d spoken about it and that when au returned we would finalize any further arrangements.”

 

“And?”

 

Maec closed his eyes, furrowing his brows in process. “She told Lannisal.”

 

Morgana pressed the palms of her hands against her eyelids hard. “And?”

 

“And what?”

 

“How much damage...?” She peeked out between her fingers.

 

Maec slumped back to lean against his desk, “Perhaps we should both invest in anti-anxiety medications before the function.”

 

“Fvadt. Fvadt. Fvadt, fvadt, fvadt fvdat.”

 

~~~~

Sandwiched between the re women, Maec glanced from io rinam (t’Ksa’s) to another (his own) as they conducted business in a language he was na at all versed in. Pomp and circumstance. This put him at a disadvantage every time he attempted to lookout for Morgana’s best interest. There was na manipulating the situation to a more positive outcome without overtly offending either the t’Ksa household or the tr’Aieme household. Any outright attempts to refuse the arrangements were met with withering glances from the two women, the promptly ignored as if he was a small child throwing a tantrum. So skilled were they at giving orders and directives that the Kheinsa felt that these women could give any Galae Enarrain a run for their latium.

 

When the final deal was struck, the final preparations completed, Maec felt na joy and relief but sorrow and detachment from one of the most important events in his life. Na control over his personal life. What an odd sensation to have.

 

~~~~

 

Morgana made na move to greet the Kheinsa at the door. Rather she granted him access to her living quarters remotely from the etrehh console she was intently working at as he entered. She glanced up, waved with io hand, then returned her attention to the task at hand. She heard him sit in the chair adjacent to her desk. “I’ve nearly completed my task. Just io moment. “ She stole a quick glance at him, offering a apologetic smile before squinting at the screen before her.

 

She noted his unusual silence and stole another glance at him. “What’s wrong?”

 

Maec simply shook his head, offered a tense smile she presumed he meant to make her feel reassured, then picked up io of the quirky desk decorations that came with her rented quarters.

 

While he twisted it around in his hand, studying each juncture, Morgana became torn between completed her task and devoting her full attention to her despondent looking Kheinsa. So she attempted to multi-task, attempting to type, steal glances at him, and carry on a conversation at the same time. She knew this was a mistake, something she would eventually pay for. But against her better judgment, she continued on just the same. “Bah, I’ve seen that look before. Au are lying.”

 

She was rewarded with a sour look, io that reminded her so much of her own dour expressions when upset that she had to turn back to etrehh to keep from giggling at him.

 

“Do na pull a face with me.” She admonished. “I too know the tricks of a Kheinsa. I have ways of making au talk.” She teased. There was na immediate reaction from the Kheinsa, which was highly unusual. What was more unusual was for her to be the receiving end of io of a soured attitude. She continued typing and editing, hoping he’d eventually wish to break the silence. When he did, it sent a chill down her spine.

 

“It is too late to break the arrangement without compromising our honor. Yet, I am afraid we will resent each other when this is done if we continue down this path.”

 

Morgana froze for a moment, then immediately directed her attention to the Kheinsa lounging in the chair across from her. This was exactly what she was afraid of, why she wanted to speak to him in person before the plans continued. But he had insisted that he was prepared. Now, this? She said nothing, the words having difficulty forming in her mouth.

 

“I didn’t mean—‘ Maec began. “That is to say, I meant, well, I meant that…I don’t know what I meant by that. But I didn’t mean that I didn’t want to—Fvadt!” tr’Aieme stood pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes.

 

t’Ksa took a calming breath (before she strangle the man) and folded her hands on the desk surface before her. She decided to try to lead with some sarcasm. “Should I na be the io stumbling over my words, pacing before au in a manic state. I wonder what brought about this role reversal. Perhaps the End of Days is soon to arrive.” She propped up her head with arm.

 

At first, there was na humor in Maec’s reaction with a hard line to his jaw and the narrowing of his eyes. That was until he took notice of Morgana’s amused expression, drumming her fingers against her cheek as she waited for him to respond. “Do au na get frustrated with our collective rinams?”

 

“Of course,” Morgana motioned for the pacing Kheinsa to sit back down. “Why do au suppose I refuse to meet with them any longer? And there is na issuing ultimatums with the pair of them. They simply do na know the meaning of the word ‘na’. I even tried sending emissaries to broker a truce.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“It did na work. They had na more success than I did. In fact, they were soon defected to the enemy, the weak minded verruls.” She paused thinking it over, “In fact, I believe if our rinams were enemy militia, my ambassadors would have been shot on sight. Family or na.”

 

“I’m beginning now to understand my cousin’s trepidation of the bonding process.” Maec relaxed slightly. He continued to explain. “This was several years ago, I was a child when Anota was joined with her bondmate. An arranged merger between our House and io of a higher standing. Something advantageous to both parties, but more so to us in more ways that I realized as youngster. I remember speaking to her about, na understanding why she was so………” He paused. “I’m na sure I have the words to describe it now, I certainly did na know then how to describe it. She seemed lost the day of the ceremony. Removed from us in all sense of the word.”

 

“And?” Morgana asked, wondering what the correlation was.

 

“It is how I’m starting to feel. Removed. Irrelevant to the whole process.”

 

“We are. I’m certain that our rinams can find body doubles to take our place if need be.”

 

“Morgana, this is na funny.”

 

“What do au wish me to do? Wail and beat my chest? I have to find the humor in this or I will completely lose my mind.” She watched Maec get up and start for the door. She called out after him. “I’m sorry. I made a mistake. I should have never asked Lannisal to be my proxy. But I didn’t know what else to do. I am na planetside long enough to complete these intricate tasks and…well…she was so eager to help. I did na know she would be this way.”

 

“Ie au did. Au warned me before au left.” From the doorway, the Khiensa stared her down.

 

Morgana leaned forward, resting her head in her hands, shielding her eyes from him. “I had hoped. I had hoped she would na live up to my worse fears.”

 

“What are we going to do, t’Ksa? What are we going to do?”

 

She looked up again, shrugging in defeat. “I do na know. I just do na know.”

Edited January 13, 2012 by m_k_tksa