trans_9 | Between Time and Space

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Between Time and Space

She had no idea how long it had been since that day she had come upon Sietch Tabr with her Sister Sheeana. Part of her had been worried it would be gone, although she knew that was a fairly baseless fear: the place was hidden well, much like, as Sheena would have told her, anyway Sietch built by a Fremen. It was still here, next to the building that looked like a precursor to a skyscraper: the same limestone build, the same precarious steps to reach it. This was, as Sheeana had told her, the place where the original Muad'dib had hidden, where the Fremen had taken shelter before the days of the Tyrant.

It was where she went now, to reclaim a piece of herself.

The Tarot card reading had not been her first indication. After the death of Ozai, she had thought long and hard about where she'd been not long ago: she had accepted that there were people who lent themselves to chaos, to discord, and that they signed their own death warrant when they infringed themselves on others. It had been here Sheeana had attempted to have her delve into the mysteries of the Bene Gesserit, here where she had first partaken of Spice.

One cautious step, two, and then the caution was gone once she remembered that day: the Nightmare King had had her in his grip, or at least her fears were getting the best of her then. Somehow Sheeana had picked the right time to bring her down this hallway, past the treasure hunter bodies to the chamber. There she entered the place where the water was drained, all moisture kept, and she felt herself stumble only a little. It had been Sheeana's second time coming here too, and one mistake would keep her lost.

Quickly she made her way through each trap, just as easily as Sheena had the first time, since Kaya had been itching for a chance to use her limbs again, to dart quickly around a corner or to sidestep another obstacle before coming to THE chamber, where the ancient writing had been before. She could already smell the cinnamon waft that was the remainder of the Spice, the drug the Fremen used to travel through space, to heighten their awareness, to give them the ability to see the future.

Here, Kaya remembered, she had strengthened her mind against the Nightmare King once. Now, in this familiar place where many had gathered in celebration, in orgies, in reverence to the one that would triumph over the Harkkonans in time, for a time.

Kaya, however, was not here to get misty eyed about the loss of her teacher and many like her over time. Nor had she come here to take Spice to enjoy herself. She was here, mainly, to reclaim that part of her she had bravely taken a time before, when she had traveled the stars and seen the future, seen herself. This was a journey she knew she had to take again, if she thought she would be the girl she had strove to be once before.

She took the Spice from the floor, sniffed, then took it into her mouth again, and once again, tasted bitter cinnamon.

Kaya remembered herself, and regained. She endured, and she pulled into herself. She was here a long time.

Several hours would past before she emerged from the Sietch, but those that saw he would say she looked different: she stood straighter somehow, but she looked in a trance, one induced, and her eyes were bluer than they had ever been in the time they knew her. Her hair was loose around her, her feet bare, her clothes dusty and smelling faintly sweet, What was unmistakable was the look on her face: it was silent, accepting, but with a reserved joy that only one who asked would know.

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"That and the recent celebration with the masks and all," Kaya said. "I was reminded that what I was agonizing about, the questions I was asking were ones I tried to resolve back then, during a time a dangerous demon imprisoned Aang and was coming after me. My teacher brought me to the Sietch of her world, and with her I imbued a drug known as the Spice. It brought me out of myself, let me explore the possibilities of who I was and most importantly allowed me to face my fears."

She ran a hand through her hair. "And I did it again tonight, because I needed to go inside myself again."

"'Sietch'," he repeated slowly, as if testing the word. "You can explain what that is?" It sounded odd, but even stranger to him was that there was a drug known as 'spice'. He knew what spices were and they most definitely weren't supposed to induce out of body experiences.

The elf regarded Kaya with a side-long glance. "You look as if you are resolved, so I can only assume your endeavors were successful, then?"

"A Sietch is the gathering place of Sheeana's people, the Fremen," Kaya said, closing her eyes a moment. "They were a desert dwelling people who preserved water, and have a proud history of resisting the attacks of other clans, as best as I could tell. The Sietch was their meeting place, and here, also, Spice is kept. There's hardly any left, but because of the location of this place and the traps within, it is untouched."

She gave a short, satisfied sigh. "Yes, Nokosi: I can say, with some certainty, that I've come to peace with the dilemma I faced since the time my teacher was here. It was also able to give me that peace of mind I've been lacking for awhile."

"I see." That still didn't explain what a Sietch was. Was it a building? A boat? A ship? Oh well.

Knowing that she'd spent the time she needed to come to terms with the events that transpired and her own feelings did please him. Personally he thought it was a bit overdue; a lot had transpired in the last few weeks...? Months? And he could see how easily it all bothered her.

"I am glad that you have managed to overcome these things," he said, turning to face her. The elf raised his hands to rest on her shoulder and leaned down to press a warm, rather chaste kiss to her mouth.

Kaya watched the confusion on his place. "Think of it as something like a hut, but like a fortress. It is a meeting place for the Fremen, something akin to almost a temple, in the desert. A stronghold for a man of destiny in her world, when he chose to be their messiah."

She shook her head. Wow, she hadn't expected to describe the Atredes like that. It was mixed from those sermons that Daimon would make.

But when the kiss reached her mouth, she felt a change in her It was like she was enveloped in warmth, all yellow and gleaming. Was this the aura that transpired wen people cared about each other? The answer was simple, because a moment later she felt her joy at being around him: that was something not even the Spice could fake, only intensify.

"I feel at peace now, like I did then," she said, "only now, I feel like I understand them better than that day."

"Ah, that makes some sense to me, then. I am not sure what to make of this 'man of destiny'. I believe we might have had something like that in Azeroth, once, but he was not infallible nor held power beyond every being." There were a few stories he heard of Medivh, but he couldn't quite recall the man's name, only that he was some sort of guardian to Azeroth.

Nokosi tugged at a lock of her unbound hair, eyes roaming over her face and body to see what changes had occurred. They finally settled back to her face and when they did, he grinned. Her story sounded familiar, like those who often meditated or the druids who spent days upon days sleeping in the Emerald Dream.

"I did not know it until now, but I think I have been waiting to hear such words from you. 'I feel at peace'. It is an amazing feeling, is it not?"

"I say that, but he became regarded as folly in that world later, due to events that, I am told, led to Arrakis' downfall. My teacher's story, though, is a cautionary tale when it comes to those people with great power. It's a lesson my own world had to deal the aftermath of, when the firelord gained power."

But all of that talk seemed to lose its malice when she was with Nokosi. When she was honest with herself, she realized what was unique about him: every day seemed like something different with him, and even when it wasn't, she still found herself in a good place with him.

"Yes," she said. "I think it was something many people wanted for me, but so long as I hung to the things that dragged me down, it couldn't happen. Wherever my teacher is, I think she is smiling at me right now."

"I see. Many times those who come to great power tend to use it for malicious ends. I think this is true of many places, especially of Azeroth, though there are those who hold extraordinary powers and would see good done with them."

It was a bit different for him. To Nokosi, he didn't need something different or new. Sure he liked exciting things, but just the constant of her company was good enough for him. More than that, she was head strong as well.

"I believe it makes you look a bit different, now. More like you are aware of all of life and understanding it, down to the smallest nuances, instead of just living through what life had brought."

"I wonder, sometimes, what would happen if we combines our powers and strengths and wills, and directed it toward defeating the enemy that has forced us to live the way we do now," Kaya said. "Not that I think it would be easy, but think of what we are capable of."

At least, she hoped there was a way they could go the route that Aang chose to pursue.

"I saw my life, then and now, she said to Nokosi. "I could see how you, just by being around me, you were able to bring me to this point. You reminded me how to question myself, my motivation, the reasons I chose to go the path my teacher laid out for me. And I realized how grateful I was, to have you and Billy and Ronnae with me, whatever strife might come."

She smiled. "I felt a waave of euphoria and understanding, just thinking of you."

What.

Wait, what?

This was one of the very rare moments where the usually nonchalant and collected elf was...flustered. After all she'd said all of those overwhelmingly adoring things so casually.

Nokosi's eyebrows furrowed and his lips pulled into a lopsided smile. The flush to his face caused it to glow a bright plum color; the elf looked positively humbled.

"I, that is..." He let out a heavy breath of air, a sudden joy apparent in his silver eyes. "Thank you."

Kaya turned, took the elf in her arms, looking up earnestly in his eyes.

"No, thank you. You made every day since we met unexpected, unrestrained, and even in fighting I find myself happy we know each other. No matter what might become of us in the time after this,a and those times will come, I will cherish every moment we have. Something like this is too precious to take lightly."

And with that, she kissed him tenderly, though her fingers gripped him arm with a ferocity that told him how that passion stirred in her.

Both arms slid around her waist and he leaned down, pressing his forehead against her own. "You humble me and I think you are being far too kind. Either way, I am very glad for it."

Nokosi leaned into the kiss, and though he was enjoying the subtle taste, sound a feel, his mind was racing to etch this singular moment to a place in his head where he could always recall it.

His hands began moving on their own accord, tracing a phrase of adoration along her back and he smiled, just a bit, at the tightness in which she held his arms.

Kaya disagreed about being too generous, he could see it clearly in her eyes. But she had spoken enough, she thought, when she could simply do as she had told him: cherishing the moment,

And so she did: her hands run up and down his scalp, find themselves around the nap of his neck, still kissing him deeply. Like Nokosi, she felt this moment, and the Spice only intensified all of it. She could feel something like a wave dip in the grid before them, and that was their feelings, coalescing and holding onto this particular point in time.

A point, Kaya knew, where the two of them chose the path they walked.

The fingers at her back made her shiver, and the wave them made seemed to shake all over.

Ah, she felt so warm in his arms and her fingers weaving through his hair were more than relaxing. The shiver hadn't gone unnoticed and he hugged her closer, pulling the girl almost against his chest before continuing that kiss with a fervor that she had previously shown with the grip on his arms.

There was a strange sense of urgency for him, one that caused the elf to pepper her lips, throat and ears with short suckles and nips.

She felt herself yielding to his sudden aggression: this was Nokosi after all, and though he hardly showed his more feral side, seeing it now did intensify her feelings. This, she knew to herself, had been something she had been curious about with Nokosi for awhile, and now that she was able to see it, she was overwhelmed.

Kaya held him tighter, biting at his neck a little before stopping the both of them, breathing hard, with a smirk on her face. "Anymore, and I think we would be causing a spectacle, Kosi."

Edited 2011-11-05 22:52 (UTC)

Nokosi blew out a short breath then smiled, both at her words and speaking his seldom used nickname. "I know, I planned to restrain myself, though it is quite difficult when you admit things such as that," he said with a laugh. "You needn't worry just yet."

He raised a hand and pressed it against her breathless face, remembering at once what he'd admitted to her, Billy and Ronnae at the beach so long ago, when he'd been asked a string of questions about his preferences. It still held true.

Kaya lay her head on his shoulder. "You know I'm not worried about that. You're a perfect gentleman, Nokosi. I was actually talking about me, honestly. You're at least experienced those feelings before they're new to me, and intensified now. But you're right: no need to rush."

She stood on her tiptoes up kissed Nokosi again, wrapping her arms around him. This was one of those few times Kaya would find herself wanting to be the aggressor.

"Then it is important that you take each moment to bask in such things, yes? Everything else goes by much faster than you would think, anyhow."

Nokosi returned the embrace and nuzzled his cheek against her own. He wasn't going to be dishonest to himself, though; it was a real struggle suppressing urges and instincts when she was being like this.

"I did learn that," Kaya said. "Among many things. I know now that I have to manage the time and the skills I have carefully. That is why I will return to being a healer for med bay, so I have the time to enjoy these things."

She would be glad to know that, but for now, this was enough. Just being able to stare in his eyes, find herself curious with the next day was enough. She leaned over and kissed him agaon, and when she let go, she took his hand.

"We should do something you want to do today!"

"Something I want to do?" he question, a lengthy, violet brow raised. "I was under the impression that many of the things we did were things I already wanted to do. But I suppose," he said, lacing his fingers through her own.

"I think that today...today I would like to go on a ride, and catch the sun. And you." Nokosi looked at her and grinned. "If you think you can outrun me."

She meant something that they had not tried before, but she was sure he got the point. Besides, right now he probably had a clearer head for things the two could do together, and she was not disappointed.

Kaya gave him a playful look? Are you sure you want to do that Nokosi? I'm pretty fast. The ride and the sun are easy enough, but I'll give you a bit of a workout for the latter half."

"Positive," he said, smiling so widely that his fangs showed. "Night Elves are known for their unnatural dexterity and speed--beyond that there are also my aspects, but I will not call on them. Not for this." It wasn't that he didn't think it was worth using or he was cheating by doing so, he simply wanted to have to really work for his reward.

"I have been running through the forest and trees for one hundred and sixty-seven years. I think I will manage."

Kaya would give him work. She was fast (though likely not as fast as Nokosi, he DID have more experience) but she had also partaken in Spice, so people seemed to move sloe to her now anyway. She grinned in spite of this: this would be nothing like the fast ones Howard had pulled on her. Just speed against speed.

"All right," she said and a blink of an eye later, she had gone several yards, looking astonished at the speed herself a moment.

He watched as she sped off and his tongue darted out to slick over his lips. For a moment he didn't move to go after her. Instead he allowed her to put some distance between them before finally picking up his feet and moving.

Most of the fun was in the chase--it just wouldn't be as enjoyable if it was too easy to follow after her as she fled. Well, maybe she didn't know that she should currently be fleeing from him, but he was the predator after all and he would make sure he caught his prey.

He was wrong: in this state, Kaya had not missed out on his meaning, When she saw that he was letting her go forward, she did mistake that for anything less than him letting her go forward so he could catch her. And she had no intention of disappointing him either.

She moved farther into the city until she was a blur, knowing in the corner of her mind that Nokosi, having lived in a forest all his life, would be able to track her. That would be the fun in this (besides the rollercoasters, of course).

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