"Dreamer's Tits!" We hiss as the slick ground and a bout of dizziness almost steals away our balance.
We'd gotten some pitying looks for our severed leg and hobble of a crutch, but this late into the night? One strange haggard cripple was barely someone to care about. Duenna had begun to swarm the streets, running toward the mansion, gathering around the bloody streets where we had maimed our attackers. But… whatever women tried to tell them made little sense, or was vague enough that they would have struggled to find the cause of this chaos. An oddly colored woman with dark hair and piercing eyes, in Arudia? Wow! That is only describing like… half the populace.
We'd murmured and hummed songs to keep the leg from going rotten, even used the cold to numb it. Pain is good, but too much would kill the little spirit we clung to.
A hoot and trill stops us dead, makes us jolt to a stop as we look about the darkened streets for the source. Our eyes meet the big floofball's, and we can't stop grinning at seeing him trot up to us. Chirping and cooing worriedly as he nearly barrels us over with that big beautiful head of his.
"Lule!" We just… drop the crutch and wrap ourselves around him. Let his strength support our fading body and mind. He thrums and curls himself around us, we slip hands up into his warm soft feathers and scrutch him with two fingers better than anyone else living knows how. Even… even play out the memories so hopefully the mind will remember after–
"Ina!" Comes a huff and a shout.
We peek around the Quelekita to see Jevita running toward us from about a block away. Face flushed and eyes wide. We can't stop a few tears at seeing her.
"Fuck." She huffs as she reaches us, places a hand on Lule. He doesn't move his head from our grasp, barely even responds to a few silent Arudian words of complaint at him running off.
"Where is everyone?" We ask.
"Back at the stables." She stands, takes a few deep breaths. "Thought it better to have me and Lule look for…"
Her voice trails off as her gaze rolls over us, touches on our right leg. Eyes go wide.
"Wh… Ina! Your leg!!" She nearly shouts.
"Yes," We sigh, "We… might need some help for a bit."
"Fuck." She hisses, flounders for a second. "We… Maybe Lule can carry you?"
"Tempting, but… no. Just help us walk." We say, direct our smile and more scrutches at the big strong Quelekita. "We are so glad you're here."
When we glance back Jevita is just… staring. She seems to notice something within us for the first time. Understands that the persons she's talking to are more than the previous pieces. And for the first time… we see wonder and curiosity and… mostly positive things in one of our lover's expressions. There is some fear, but maybe we can…
Division.
Lover!?! But… The smaller part of us whispers. No. She's– she's not–
The bigger spirit hushes and lulls it back into calm, then an easy rejoining.
Jevita glances between us and Lule. Seems to calm as she watches him snuggle and try to warm us. Every once in a while he'll pull around a little to lock eyes with us, hooting in worried happiness before pressing close. Lule is always kind, but never this much. Often more… well just playful. But now… He sees us, and loves the mingling within our spirits.
"You're not just Ina, right now."
We smirk. She really is clever. Let's her mind wrap around us like none other.
"Temporary osmosis." We respond, glancing back.
She pauses, then nods, moves up to get an arm under one shoulder. "I have an eternity of questions, But… Now's not the time." She murmurs a few stern commands to Lule, and has him help support us. Then we begin a slow trudging through the city streets.
"Thank you." We murmur.
Jevita glances over to us, nods.
"But you should ask your questions now," We grunt, although… even to our ears it's barely an ugly sound.
"Huh?" She looks forward.
"An eternity of questions, but you have until we reach the stables." We… try to keep the little spirit calm. But it definitely twitches at that, at the… plans we're forming. All to save it.
She nods. "This… This connection ends in the morning, yeah?"
"Tonight, once we go to sleep. But… we're going to need our lover's help to make sure our mind survives."
She jerks at that, looks up to us again. "What? Is Ina going to–"
"Osmosis, Jevita." We cut her off with a near hiss. "We've lost patience for the implications that we are anything less. We are Ina and we are more than Ina."
"I… yeah. Sorry." She huffs, and already she means it and accepts us. We can see real genuineness to her words that warms our heart. "But… what happened?"
"We tracked the Murtaziq, found her employer." We sigh, half in pain and half in annoyance at the memory. "But… we only had so much Amwella to burn. Got distracted. Let that corpsefucker take our leg."
The first lure. The little spirit whines at the bigger one. Begs it to stop… to… to…
"I… guess?" She shakes her head, takes a few seconds to sniff at our bait. "Wait… Corpsefucker?"
"Right, sorry." We sigh performatively, even Tasii at her best would struggle to know if it was genuine. "A Cultivation stone. Bottled the concept of lightning or some such. Didn't notice the cunt had something like that until she'd released it."
"But… co– corpsefucker?" She stammers, "Why are you calling her that? The woman who… um…"
We snort, "What else would you call the things the women out at your academy do to the Zeridii?"
She actually stops then, looks up at us.
We turn to meet her gaze, and let our eyes roam over the markings we can see across her scalp. "I don't sense even a bit of its soul inside you. Only… old scars at the channeling."
Jevita's eyes go wide. "How… how can you tell I… but… what the fuck is a Zeridii?"
"So, they don't spread its name and will anymore? That's… interesting." We murmur. "Do they call it something else then? This outside thing your academy butchers for gemstones?"
"No. I… I don't know what that is…" She looks away. Begins to move us again. "Just… I'm trying to leave Cultivation behind me."
"Smart move, that thing is a blight." We would shrug, but can only shift a little.
She seems to jerk at that. But then settles into a silence as we get a little farther. We're content to wait. Let her mind bubble with thoughts and questions and–
"How… How does song magic work?" She whispers after an internal struggle.
We can't stop a little smile. She's at our hand now, sniffing at the bait. Curious… but still cautious. Perhaps… maybe we can entice her further? Prick at her mind a bit.
"Wrong question."
"Wh… what?" She stammers at our reply.
"If this was Alchemy, or Cultivation… Maybe that would be the path to understanding." We murmur, then shrug, "But it's not."
"Do… Can only Sun Spoken learn it?"
"Must you be a bird to fly? Or a fish to swim?" We laugh. Her hunger is delightful as she nibbles at our offer. Almost… Almost…
"It… sure makes those things easier." Jevita puzzles out, "Makes them more… natural? But… no?"
We just smile.
"So…" She lets the word simmer, and we can feel her Amwella churn at the possibilities. Can see the shape of her now, reaching… reaching... We even start to understand her scars and what might have caused most of them…
"How is your song magic different from the other two?"
"Closer, much closer! But still not the right question." We purr.
Her brow furrows so adorably, we can't help but give her a hint as she fumbles about. She nearly falls as we place a quick peck on her forehead, feeling a spark of Amwella pass between our lips and her skin.
"I–" She stammers as we feel her Amwella flicker at sudden warmth and touch. "Wh… why did you…?"
Oh her blush is wondrous. A burst of warmth that starts at her cheeks and runs along her ears. We consider… well if we weren't wounded and hobbling through the streets we might ask for a little bite off her right here and no–
"You're clever, Jevita." We whisper, "But that needs to be your last hint for tonight."
She doesn't know how to respond, and we're content to let her mind blubber over what we've given her for the next few blocks. Will she piece it together?
We let out a huff as we see the stables ahead. Remembering what might await us there. Pain, shame, rejection. All earned, all costs for our mistakes.
Lule hoots a little rumbling trill as we reach the outer door and Jevita reaches to pull the big thing open. Inside are about a dozen little stalls, with only about half filled. One curious Quelekita head peeks out to offer greetings. As Jevita closes the door behind us and we begin to walk forward we can't help but smile a greeting as it catches our eye and bounces hellos. It's trained to keep their calls low, but just too excited as they notice the glimmer in our eye.
"Okay, let's… let's try and…" Jevita begins to pull Lule into his stall while trying to keep me upright.
We're able to step away and move to lean against a pillar. Sense the waves of exhaustion roll over and through this body. Dreamer's Tits… we… we might… might not have enough time to…
"Jevita?" A voice whispers from down the hall.
We glance over just as Kque steps up from the basement logdings below. These last few cities had wonderful housing for the Quelekita and their partners. Big insulated stables, sub-basement rooms with decent beds, and even a little tavern for them to relax in if they wished. It's not as good as our Inn, but compared to sleeping out in the frozen wilds it was luxury.
Kque's eyes seem to… look past us for a second. Like we're a stranger she mistook for a friend. Doesn't seem to understand who we are until Jevita steps out from Lule's stall to slide beneath our arm.
"How's Tasii?" We ask her.
Kque's hands go to her mouth, a wordless gasp of worry and pain and horror at the sight of us then. Fuck, we must look such a horrid sight. Eyes seem to lock on our missing leg. It's only then that Jevita notices her.
"Kque… um… Could you help me get them downstairs?"
Them. We warm at her unquestioning acceptance at our mingling.
Jevita's words break Kque from the stupor, then she's rushing over and asking her own eternity of questions, all while moving to support me from the other side. Every step is more painful than it should be. Even with the two women working so hard to keep all our weight off either leg.
"The leg is stable." We grunt as we get over the last step. "Sealed and purified from rot and parasites."
That seems to help her settle, only a few other questions are shot our way as we enter the main room and are led over to a hallway. From there we are slowly led into a room where Jevita and Kque have stored their baggage and a pallet of blankets and cushions on the floor. They slowly lower us to lay down, prop my head and leg up. Jevita begins to ruffle through the bags while Kque starts pulling and ripping at the ruined burnt remains of our leggings.
"Fuck… okay this…" Kque murmurs to herself. "There are some bits of cloth and… I… weird things."
"We'll… handle all that." We huff, "For now we need… How are Tasii and Yrelia?"
"Asleep," Jevita whispers as she kneels beside Kque and me, offering a pouch of healing supplies.
A pause, but… we can't wait. Can't gamble on lovers who might hate us. If we're to have the best chances of surviving we just need to ask these two. The little spirit shrinks in worry and shame and so much fucking embarrassment.
"We need your help." We proclaim, then before they can continue. "If you're willing to give it."
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