Casina was half asleep when Mrovia returned. She heard her set the food tray aside with a noisy clatter. But she was shocked when the woman, apparently angry at finding her in bed, furiously yanked the covers from her and tossed them aside. She heard Mrovia's own shocked gasp at sight of her curled naked there before she turned and scurried into the bath chamber. A moment later, Casina heard the water running. Feeling cold, she ignored the woman's activities and moved to draw the covers back over herself.
She again heard the woman return and sigh with exasperation at sight of her charge barricaded beneath the covers.
"Mees Don'sen!" she said. "Please don't do this. You must get up and eat something."
"No," Casina murmured, feeling sorry for herself. "Just leave me alone."
But Mrovia gave a firm tug on the blankets, removing them completely from the bed so Casina had no recourse but to sit up and cover herself with her hands.
"Give those back," Casina said, clearly upset.
"No."
Casina could tell she was adamant, but that didn't change anything.
"Just leave me alone. I want to die of starvation in my own bed, if you don't mind." Mrovia stepped back at her words, harrumphing.
"Mees Don'sen," she began, her tone authoritative. "You will get out of that bed. You will take a nice hot bath. And you will eat, even if I have to get the guards to force-feed you." She met Casina's furious glare with one of her own.
"You wouldn't dare," Casina said.
"Better yet," Mrovia replied, "I will get Uri to bathe and feed you. I'm sure he will enjoy it, even if you don't."
Casina's ears flared at this threat, not even knowing who Uri was. "You wouldn't dare," Casina repeated, somewhat wary now.
She saw the gleam of triumph in the woman's eyes.
"Oh, wouldn't I..." As she spoke, Mrovia turned to open the door, only to have Casina suddenly leap from the bed, holding a pillow in front of her. Throwing her weight against it, she slammed it shut.
"No!" she said, standing half naked between the alien and the door. "I'll...I'll...behave. I just don't know why I need another bath when I just took one." With that, she clutched the pillow tighter, then trotted off into the bath chamber.
"Don't be long," Mrovia flung at her retreating back. "Or your food will get cold. Is better hot, you know."
"So I've been told," Casina returned, recalling similar words from that other alien, while aboard the spaceship that had brought her to Konatha. Stubborn, she lounged in the large sunken tub for a good long while, making sure all of her food was stone cold by the time she returned.
"So, where's the food at?" she said pointedly, when she had finished. She was standing naked in the doorway, causing Mrovia more shock at this. She gave an amused grin at sight of the older woman hurrying to retrieve the clean clothes she had now laid out for her. Mrovia gave them an angry shove into Casina's arms, clucking her tongue with dismay.
"Please, Mees Don'sen," she entreated her. "You'll give me heart failure with your antics."
Smirking, Casina then took the clothes and immediately dropped them on the floor at her feet, much to the alien's further chagrin. Mrovia then gave a groan of despair as Casina bent slowly to pick up each item, one at a time, and put it on.
"What," Casina said, still smiling, "aren't you going to assist me?"
All the color drained from Mrovia's face. "Please, Mees Don'sen..."
But Casina had a change of heart, suddenly remembering what the commander had said earlier about behaving. Softening, she looked over at the woman, knowing that she was only following the orders of some guy called Kaanig. She wasn't mad at the woman. It's just that she was completely angry at the entire world just then. At the circumstances that had brought her to some alien world of which she wanted no part, no matter how gorgeous and kind her captor! An alien world from which she could see no way of escape.
But suddenly all the energy drained from her. Sighing, her shoulders drooped with resignation. "I'm...sorry, Mrovia. None of this is really your fault. I just don't want to be here." Fully dressed now, she moved to give her a reassuring pat. She sighed and stepped back. "So, what did you bring me to eat? Something strange that will probably disagree with me, right? Some bad water perhaps?" Groaning, Mrovia rolled her eyes, turned, and left.
Kaanig Dammen Altair, supreme ruler of the Galaxy of Jupitar, sat back in his massive office chair to consider the report Mrovia Aemons had just given him. Frowning, he stared at her with thoughtful consideration, tapping his long fingers atop the armrest.
"Is she being that difficult?" he said. "Truly?"
He eyed the older woman with concern, noting the way she nervously twisted the cloth in her hand. He couldn't recall ever having seen her so agitated before. He knew Casina wanted to escape again and, after the tongue lashing Mrovia had received a few solarities before, he wasn't surprised that she no longer wanted to be the one to watch her.
"I'm afraid the stress she is causing is too much for me, Ziros. I beg to be freed from this chore."
Dammen straightened and drew himself closer to the half moon-shaped desk he was sitting behind. "Is she that much of a problem for you?"
The woman nodded. "Yes, Ziros. For me, she is. What with her stubborn attitude and her nightmares and--"
"Nightmares? You've never mentioned those."
"She's had them ever since her arrival, Ziros."
"It's only been three solarities."
"I know. But she wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. Your quarters are so far from hers that you've never heard the terrible noise she makes. I've been roused every night to attend her, Ziros."
Dammen frowned and stared at her intently. "I'm sorry, Mrovia. I didn't know. You should not have kept that from me." He pushed back his chair and stood up. "From now on, I'll have Paxis give her something that will keep her asleep until morning. That way, both of you should be well rested. For a short while anyways. I don't intend to addict her the way they did at that fanged institute."
"That may help with the nightmares," Mrovia agreed, "but what about her attitude? I just don't know how to deal with her, Majesty. Sometimes she seems so kind and sweet. Other times, she is stubborn, disrespectful, and rude."
Dammen's lips curled slightly. "Yes, I know," he said, rounding the desk to stand beside her. "But there are other reasons she was chosen. She is strong, caring, and loyal to those she loves, for one." He stood silent a moment as he considered the matter. "It seems my authority is the only thing that can restrain her."
Mrovia turned to follow his movements about the room. "So, what will you do, Ziros?"
"Where is she now? What is she doing?"
"She was pacing the room like a caged bansha when I left. Since you've banned her from the garden until you've pruned back all the tree branches and such, she is bored to tears. Without a v'd'mr or mi'Æ, there is nothing for her to do but read, pace, pray...or complain. I did catch her singing one morning, but she stopped as soon as she saw me. She has a lovely singing voice."
Dammen nodded appreciatively at this news. "Well, it was necessary to trim everything. But I do understand her restlessness, especially after being locked away for so long. The fact that she was singing shows me she may not be as miserable as she pretends."
"So what will you do? She did ask me if there was something useful she could do to earn her keep. Said she hated being a burden to everyone, even if they were aliens."
At this, his lips curled into a wide smile. Chortling, he nodded, well aware of Casina's attitude toward them. He picked a flower from a nearby vase and began fiddling with it, thoughtfully plucking the blossoms from the stem as he strolled about, ignoring the petals as they fell silently to the expensive Rhenian carpeting beneath his feet. Eventually, he returned to Mrovia, playfully tapping her on the head with it.
"Right now, s'lma, there is only one thing to do. That is, if she won't mind spending the day with the enemy she despises."
Mrovia was aghast at this. "But, what if she refuses to go?"
"Don't worry," he said. "She won't have a choice. We'll keep the daily activities to a bare minimum so if she gets difficult, she can be sent back to her quarters. If she continues to act like a child, she will continue to be treated like one. Besides, right now it may be the only way she can get rid of some of that nervous, pent-up energy. And it's the best way to keep an eye on her, to prevent another escape attempt. This way, you won't have to deal with her antics all day long."
The older woman smiled up at him. "That sounds perfect."
"You'll only be responsible for her personal needs and meals. And just you. Waylay the other attendants for now."
"I hope it will be as easy as it sounds."
The Kaanig snorted. "Me, too, Vi. Me, too. At any rate, I'll notify Paxis and give him his instructions. Meanwhile, have Casina ready tomorrow after morning repast. And tell her nothing of our intentions."
"Yes, Majesty," the woman said, rising to leave.
"And Vi," he told her, taking her firmly by the shoulders to peer down into her face. "Don't worry about anything. But, in future, I want you to share every detail of the girl's behavior with me."
"I will, Ziros. I will indeed."
When she had departed, Dammen returned to his desk, wondering how he was ever going to perform his duties with Casina causing so many problems.
"Probably need a fanged leash," he said to no one in particular. Chuckling again, he returned to his desk, knowing the commander definitely had his work cut out for him.