#Dal Grievous

[plokoonsdisapprovingeyebrows]

and finally: revenge of the sith in keldeorinyaa! vocab notes under the cut.

kssalabal di! repabliki a nisinaki sislorrdi kaunto dooku de kssaban kero manteveriyeh. anakoka ttara anakoka, duraliyaan di nazadi. isakhimen di tawidawi inyendao me. dorroy tta rrewa jjeneral grievous di, ssaossa re, repabliki tta zalmerissan de voolaiki dal hadi a, repabliki tta senati tta rrewa ttaansala palpatine a staranteral. isagai anakoka di teyaadiyeh zalmerissan de dadinhaaya re dadekyaan ki ingaliyeh nna, jjedai naitaga di na staranteri ttaansala a aysakaati khooto rrewanadiyeh…

kssalabal = war. From kssabi, to attack, with an archaic suffix that’s really only used in this one word. There’s a massive taboo against aggression, attacks and violence in kel dor society - or there sort of still is, it’s fading a bit and has sort of slipped into the status where an edgelord might get interested in it. A lot of war and combat terminology derives from entirely non-war-related things because of the taboo; people mostly speak euphemistically on the subject.

nisinaki = ruthless, practical, harsh, without lenience. There's not really an association with deliberate unkindness or cruelty here - a storm or an earthquake might be described as nisinaki re.

sislorrdi = transliteration of ‘Sith Lord’. There is no ‘th’ in keldeorinyaa, and ‘rr’ is there to denote an American-style r. The final i isn’t strongly pronounced, it’s just there because words with ‘rr’ can’t end in hard consonants.

manteveri = to be broken, weakened. This is a passive verb, meaning it’s only applied to the object of an action in absence of the actor. If the book is broken, you say “tenjji a manteveri”, but if, say, your little sibling breaks the book, you say “gepdal di tenjji mani.” There’s quite a few active/passive verb pairs of this sort; for example, ikazdi/ikapsudi 'to eat/to be eaten'.

duraliyaan = a strong protector; more or less the kel dor equivalent of ‘hero’. The requirement is that you fight only to protect others, not for personal glory or gain.

nazadi = to act, to do something. Mostly used in the context of people who are distinguished by something they've done; eg. duraliyaan di nazadi here.

isakhimen = evil. A compound word, from zakha ‘purposeful, deliberate’ and circumfixed imen ‘bad’ - someone here is causing problems on purpose.

tawidawi = a quantifier that sort of means ‘lots’, but has strong connotations of ‘too fuckin many’. Used on its own, it can mean ‘pest’ or ‘vermin’. Here it’s used with the judgemental particle me. Evil is everywhere (and we think that’s fucked up, yo).

dorroy = droid. This is an evolved loanword; it used to be dorroido, but the final syllable got lost. There’s a distinction between droids of Dorin make, which are referred to as aynamaki, and droids from offworld, which are dorroy.

(aynamaki are almost without exception automata and manufacturing tools, and they're designed not to be capable of developing the sort of sentience offworld droids do - the thought is that it would be rude af to make your shovel capable of thinking. An exception is made for certain AIs, but these occupy a distinct legal category that gives them certain protections.)

ssaossa = a bolt from the blue, lightning out of a clear sky. Colloquially used as a mild swearword, and a description for a run of unanticipated bad luck. Also works for describing an unexpected attack.

zalmerissan = capital city in a galactic context. Cities in the Dorin context (and especially the big ones) belong to many clans and thus can’t really be said to belong to one entity, so the original meaning is more or less the city everyone thinks of when you say the word ‘city’ - whatever’s closest or biggest or most interesting in your area.

voolaiki di = to trespass, to invade. Typically used for people sneaking onto ur farm and running off with your best shellfish; given the war taboo, use in this manner is very rare.

hadi a = particle linking two ideas, perhaps things that are happening at the same time. Basically a vehicle for run-on sentences in the manner of the original crawls lmao.

staranteri = to be kidnapped, to be taken secretly - a compound passive verb from stari, to be hidden away, and santeri, to take. There is a verb for smuggling things, but you never use it for people, so a number of workarounds made it into common usage.

teyaadi - to break into, to crack open, to besiege. Primarily used in the sense of cracking open a nut, or shellfish, or a jar you haven’t opened for ages, or for getting into an account you've forgotten the password for... again, use in the sense of wartime is very rare.

dadinhaaya = valuable, something you could get a lot for in exchange if you wanted to sell or trade it. (There's a different word for things that are emotionally/sentimentally valuable.)

dadekyaan = prisoner, hostage, lit. someone who is leashed or bound. From dadek, a leash or a chain, something that ties someone/something or binds them in place.

ingali = to escape, to flee, to get away from a dangerous situation.

aysakaati = to rescue, to save someone's life or save them from harm.

khooto = job, mission, the task at hand, an aim being actively worked on. Differs from zaakhi/zadakh in that you have to be currently working on this one, and it's typically a more specific, limited action - think of taking a specific class, versus generally working towards a degree.

#kel dor conlang #kel dor headcanons #this one has some cultural notes too

[mrneighbourlove]

Burnt Heart: Ch 2. Trust Thunderstruck

Many years had passed, and the Kikai Empire's power had never been higher. Under Zannah's rule, she had obtained four different islands, and the unclaimed tip of a land from another continent. Her people had spread like wildfire after interbreeding with colonialized races into the Empire. The baby boom was high for Hasai birthrates, and she couldn't be more overjoyed. Her citizens were almost fanatically devoted to her, working hard to fit and find a place in the gears of her well-oiled Empire. The Waku in particular, while young, were growing in secret exactly to her design. Most grew up being completely loyal to the Empire. However, there was always resistance, and with her reach so far, there was bound to eventually be a loose gap in her defenses.

Flying on a Wyvern, a Waku, descended from his Dal mother and Emperor Zannah's vision, grew angry with their life. They grew complacent training to be a fighter for the Empire. Most of all, they grew resentful that they never grew up with the love and care of a father.

It started a cold trial from her ignorant mother, which lead her to the heart of the Empire. There, she secured the name of the first Waku. A man of great renown known as Kahli. She needed to find this man, and she knew that word would travel to ears belonging to agents of the Empire quickly that she escaped from her mother's watchful eye. Maybe the agents weren't fast enough, or maybe they didn't catch on at all, but she found herself flying into the borders of Hyrule. Her Wyvern only slightly bigger than a horse, starting to fly closer to the earth. Grievous would find this man and make him answer dearly to their questions.  

Kahli had volunteered to take the exports to the docks so Zizi could have a day to prepare for Manaco's upcoming birthday. He was a man now, and had completed his first trial of manhood. Her son had purchased a plot of land for his family one day. Now, he was in the process of finishing his house. So, to celebrate the occasion, Zizi was baking his favorite dessert; strawberry cake. No matter how tough her son acted, he still had a weakness for the sweet, tasting fruit. When Kahli returned, the two of them would go over to Manaco's new place with the cake. She was in the middle of spreading the whipped cream over the cake when she heard a knock at the door. Glancing at the clock, Zizi thought it was odd. Kahli was not due home for another couple of hours. Who was visiting?

Opening the front door, Zizi was surprised to see... someone new.

"Yes? May I help you?"

"Where is he woman?" Grievous had white war paint on her face, giving her the impression of a skull. Yellow eyes and red skin were the norm for any Waku, yet due to her Dal heritage, a primate tail was flicking back and forth angerly. Her hair was bountiful, parting more backwards due to a war helmet she wore. Honestly, due to the massive amount of protection in Hyrule, most would find it ill advised to threaten someone so openly in public, but not this girl. "Where is the man known as Kahli? Show yourself you coward!"

"... okay, I've been through this before." Zizi had a very unimpressed look on her face. "Look, everyone wants to fight my husband, or has wanted to kill him at some point. So, what is it? What could he have possibly done this time in the past? I'm in the middle of baking a cake for my son and you're interrupting. Kahli is not here, so go ahead and leave or else I will just launch you off my doorstep myself."

Grievous shot a streak of fire at one of the flowers that Kahli gardened for her.  "I have no quarrel with you woman. Are you his servant perhaps? I will ask only once more before I tear this house apart to drag him out into the streets. Show yourself! You dare call yourself Father to the Waku?!"

Zizi was old. Zizi was tired. Zizi was the earth sage. She had patience and kindness in her heart. But right now? Zizi was very annoyed. This was going to end very quickly. The Zemlja did not even have to move. Her magic was advanced far beyond what was normally expected due to her sudden status as earth sage. She did not desire the title, but it was entrusted to her. Most of the time, she did not have to use such harsh magic.

The earth suddenly opened and swallowed the stranger up to her neck. It hardened and kept her in place. There would be no way she'd be able to move.

"I. Am. His. Wife." Zizi bent down to look the young girl in the eye. "You mess with him, you mess with me."

"Let me go! Or my mighty mount will rip you to shreds."

To Zizi, the Wyvern might as well be a house cat compared to the dragons she knew from her homeland. At first it looked surprised at its owner being trapped under the earth. Next it spread its wings wide, baring its teeth. With one leg kicking the dirt, it looked as though it was either ready to charge head first with its horns, or snap at Zizi. "That man owes me! You will not deny me my hunt for him! I've come too far!"

Zizi merely whistled and from there, three enormous Lorleidian dragons arrived outside her house. Ari'phompha was one, glaring down at the little Wyvern. The earth dragon was older than the rest of the group, but still able to fight. She snorted loudly and tapped her claws.

"You won't win this battle, young one. I suggest you back off." Ari'phompha warned the Wyvern. "You shall not harm our friend."

"Kahli owes you nothing." Zizi poked the girl's head. "Why don't you calm your temper and tell me what this is all about or else, I'll have my friends escort you away."

"Fight for friend. N-not scared of you." The little Wyvern growled back at the much more powerful and far bigger dragons. He couldn't shoot any type of energy from his mouth, and had no arms to fight with, but he had his spunk.

Grievous nearly let her age get the better of her and almost was on the verge of crying. "That bastard is my father! A father I never knew! Release me vile earth witch!"

It was as if the world stopped. Time stopped. Everything came to a screeching halt.

"...!!! WHAT?!" Zizi shouted so loud that even the dragons winced at her volume. "YOU LIE!!!" She pulled the girl out of the ground by the collar and held her there. "He is MY husband! He would never cheat on me! The bond prevents him from doing so!"

The Waku was currently still too weak from the earth having gripped her like a vice to fight back physically, but the fire in her eyes didn't mean she would stop trying to express her fury. "Look into my eyes! I am Waku! The one known as Kahli is the only one who can be my father! I am one of hundreds!"

"Hu... hundreds?" Zizi felt her heart sink into her gut. Her eyes. None of the Hasai had eyes like that except for Kahli. It couldn't be true! It just couldn't! Kahli wouldn't hurt her like this, wouldn't hurt their family like this... would he? "How? How can this be possible? Kahli said... the bond..."

"I took so long to pry the information from my mother, but eventually she caved. She said she was given the honour of being a donor for the Empire." Her tail had enough strength slap at Zizi's hand. Catching her landing, Grievous' scowl deepened. "I was disgusted by this revelation. All my friends and allies had fathers they knew. Father's they loved. I never did. What more, I was born a freak, one of hundreds from a test tube." The last two words held undeniable malice in her voice, the seriousness of the matter dripping from every word.

Zizi's knees buckled and she hit the ground hard. The Zemlja was in shock. The girl had no reason to lie. There was evidence enough by her appearance. Judging by the girl's age, this happened years ago. This was a plan of Zannah's and Kahli was her pawn. She was angry and hurt by Zannah using her husband for personal gain, but also at Kahli for allowing Zannah to use him. There was no way Kahli would be manipulated so easily. Zannah had to have something on him. Yet still... did he even try to fight this? Hundreds... hundreds of them... so this was not just a one-time occurrence. Zannah had been doing this experiment of hers for a long while now.

"I... didn't know..." Zizi's voice was so soft, the dragons barely heard her.  

Grievous leaned down to grab Zizi by the collar. Clearly, she had not known, but she still needed answers out of this little woman. "Where is he?"

Kahli had been making his way back from work early. He worked extra hard to come back home to his wife as to help her prepare in celebration for their son's birthday. Manaco was a bright man, and his father was so proud of all his accomplishments. He arrived with a crate of fresh milk he loved, hoping to have time to wrap it in paper. What he saw next shattered any and all current plans.

In his house was a Waku girl. He wasn't a fool. Kahli knew what this meant. This was the end to his longest and darkest kept secret. When he saw this girl grab his wife by the collar, however, Kahli snapped into action. Swiftly leaping into action, he grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, throwing her back off his wife.

"---!!! You---!!!"

She didn't get to finish her surprise as Kahli brought his palm forward, breaking her nose. With the next strike, he delivered a swift kick to her chest, sending her rolling backwards down his front steps and onto the dirt road. "Leave my house. And never return. You bring danger to us all by coming here. I don't know you, and you don't know me. Try anything other than leaving, and I will turn you into ash." Kahli was dark, cold, and unkind in his words to this girl. Before she could answer back, he shut the door on her. Might have a minute or two as she got the wind back in her sails to check on his wife. Carefully, Kahli turned to Zizi, feeling the weight of his sins crawl down his back and sit on his chest as his hands carefully rested on her shoulders. "Zizi… did she hurt you?"

Zizi was still processing what just happened. A girl, no... Kahli's daughter had shown up on the doorstep. He had a part in this. He had to be willing. What was she thinking? Kahli always ran to Zannah like a lost puppy whenever she called. He missed birthdays and holidays. He'd leave suddenly and then return. When did she go so blindly in love that she refused to see it anymore? Kahli's loyalty was never to her, it was to Zannah. Any order the Empress gave, he'd carry out in a heartbeat. All those years ago when the two of them visited with Malik and Asakoniegei, he had even gone so far as to defend Zannah's actions. The Zemlja tried her hardest to find a way to rationalize an excuse, but... she could not find one. It was a soul-crushing sensation which now weighed on her. Good spirits, what would her children think? Not only was she heartbroken over this revelation, but her babies... oh, sweet spirits, they would never look at Kahli the same again. Her family would never be the same again...

"No... she didn't." Zizi then looked up at him with absolute rage in her eyes. "But you're going to hurt."

With a massive blast of magical energy, Zizi shot Kahli through the front door, across the flower garden, and slammed him into the statue in the middle of the fountain.

Grievous was rising from the ground, finally catching her breath, when Kahli was sent flying outwards. His foot caught her in the head, cutting her temple and sending her crashing back into the ground.

Kahli didn't fight back as Zizi raised her hands to rocket him away. He knew that he deserved her anger, her hatred. The door was hard enough against his back to smash through, and he didn't know what he hit on the way to the statue, but upon crashing into it, he suffered six broken ribs upon impact, as well as his left arm snapped in two. With awful breathing, he took on water as he tried to keep his head a float.

"You... how could you?!?!" Zizi tromped out of the house, her anger causing prickly thorns and massive vines to rise from the ground. The magic swirled violently around her being, green sparks shooting through the air. This was the first time that Kahli would ever sense such rage from his wife. "I gave you my heart and my soul! A family, a home, I saved you and loved you and this is how you repay me?!"

Kahli took a solid minute to pick himself up from the fountain, only able to lean his body on the outer ring. "I didn't stop loving you. I provided for our family. I understand your anger... but this? I've never... struck any of you."

"You think that is an excuse for your infidelity?!" Zizi nearly shrieked at him. "That is your fucking daughter that showed up on my doorstep! And by the looks of it, she's fully grown! That, and she told me she has hundreds of brothers and sisters?!" She then told him, "Hit you!? You're lucky that I don't castrate you!!! You liar! You cheater!"

"I NEVER FUCKED ANYONE!" For that yell, Kahli's felt a bile of iron rise up his throat and trickle out his mouth. "Zizi… gods. It's complicated. But she's not my daughter."

"I don't care if you fucked a cow! That is your daughter! There's no denying those eyes, Kahli!" Zizi screeched. "You think I'm stupid?! I don't care how complicated it is, the bottom line is, you have other sons and daughters out there that were grown in test tubes and utilized for Zannah's benefit! After all this time, you still chose her and not me?! Not our family?! Spirits, when did I ever become so foolish to believe that one day, you'd chose us over duty to the Empire?!"

"I didn't choose jack shit. My sons and daughters are my fifteen children with you. They... they may be children, but they are not my children."

"Now you're just deluding yourself." Zizi scoffed with tears running down her face. "Don't bother coming home. You're not welcome anymore." She then wiped at her cheeks and sniffled, walking back to her house. Along the way, she saw the young girl staring at her. Whether it was awe, fear, or a mixture of both, Zizi did not know. Yet, the girl did not deserve her hatred or angry. Offering a hand, she helped her to her feet. "You, however, may come in."

Grievous looked back and forth between the two. At the invitation, she was taken aback. "Why?"

"Because you've done nothing wrong." Zizi told the girl quietly. "You don't deserve this."

Grievous looked to the bitter husk of her father seeking to pull himself out of the fountain, yet struggling to do so. Quirking an eyebrow at Zizi, she asked a question that was simply that. "What if I came all this way to kill him?"

"Wouldn't it be better to let him suffer?" Zizi's voice sounded cold. "Death might be too easy according to Waku traditions."

"Him? He's survived worse." Zizi then instructed Ari'phompha. "Take him to the healers. Leave him there and don't brign him back here." Ari'phompha carefully picked up Kahli within her large claws and flew him in the direction of the Dusa's hospital. "You have questions. I have answers. Come inside."

“No. I have questions for him and him alone. Ask them to bring him back. I’ll heal him.”

"No. You want to talk to him, you go to him." Zizi used her magic to grow a makeshift door out of the ground since she blasted off her other one. "He's not coming back in here. If you want to go talk to him, he's that way."

“Do you not have same questions I do?”

"He lied to me. I no longer trust his words." Zizi was trying to keep her voice from trembling. "I don't care for answers."

“I do. I will never get close to him again if you send him away. Please.” Grievous felt suddenly woozy, sitting down on her porch.

"... you got knocked pretty hard, didn't you?" Zizi bent down to look at the bruise on the girl's head. "Worry about yourself first. Stay right there, I'll get you some ice." Within a few moments, she returned with a bag of ice and handed it to the daughter of Kahli. "Keep it against your forehead."

“What is this?”

"It's an ice pack. To help against the sting of pain."

“What’s ice? It’s cold.” Grievous frowned, throwing the pack away. “I don’t like tricks.”

"Hey, missy!" Zizi picked up the ice pack and held it to the girl's head herself. "You're going to hold it right there to keep the area from swelling so much, whether you like it or not." She scolded her, the motherly side getting the best of her. "It's not a trick. It's ice. My sister can make it. Keep it there until I find the kit, are we clear?"

Grievous rose her hands, ready to punch, yet slowly started to calm down as the ice eased her head. “I don’t have ‘ice’ where I live... I will stay if you feed me and Sylvain.”

"... you're lucky that I'm known to feed just about anyone." Zizi helped the girl to her feet and steadied her as she walked inside the house. "And your name again?"

“Grievous. It’s a Dal name.” She frowned, her anger suddenly starting to melt the ice into water.

"Grievous. Mind if I call you Grivy for short?" Zizi then placed a plate full of leftovers in front of the young girl. "Baked honey salmon, grilled asparagus, and cream corn. Eat up, sweetheart. You've traveled a long way."

“That’s not very serious...” The teenager didn’t push her nickname further though. Being offered salmon she tried to not let her mouth water. “Fish please. Do you have a bathroom with a mirror?”

"My name is Zizi, that's about as far as serious as you can get." She instructed, "Down the hall, to the left. It's the blue door. You can't miss it. Don't take too long, your food will get cold."

Grievous made her way to the bathroom per instruction. Quickly grabbing a towel, she cleaned up the blood that had trickled down her face.  Once she stopped the blood trial, using only a finger, she burned her wound shut with a searing fire. Even she was not able to keep herself from screaming profoundly.

The scream caught her off guard. Zizi rushed to the bathroom to find the door lock.

"Hey young lady! You open this door, right now! What's wrong?! Don't make me take it down!"

She finished yelling in her own language, finally calming down. “I’m fine. Just cleaning up the wound.” Opening up a pouch she carried at her side, the girl reapplied her war paint. Needed to keep up appearances in unknown territory. Be scary before being nice.

Since Zizi was a Zemlja, she simply swung open the wood door with her magic.

"You're going to get it infected."

“I know what I’m doing. Burned it close.”

"And it can still get infected, goodness, why did you put that paint back on your face?" Zizi took a rag from the cabinet and soaked it with warm water. She also pulled out a jar of aloe and medical herbs to use as a paste over the wound area. "There's no going to war around here, no one will harm you. You're completely safe---stop squirming. You're worse than Manaco when he was little. This might sting a little." After she had removed a good portion of the paint, she applied the paste. "There. Now it will heal twice as fast and keep bacteria out."

Her face was a fine light red, with brown rustled hair all over. She struggled at first of course, but eventually simply froze as Zizi went to work on her. Her tail smacked the woman as she applied the paste. “That hurts. And my paint is a symbol of courage and my rage.”

"... do you really think that this paint means anything around here?" Zizi placed an adhesive on top of the paste to keep it there for the rest of the day. "Look, it's peaceful here. You don't need to fight. So, come back in the kitchen, eat, and I'll answer what I can and you answer what you can. Sound fair?"

“I wear it for my preparation with Kahli. It’s... its part of my heritage as a Dal.” She sulked, sadly applying more paint. She wanted to cover her fear and insecurities. “It gives me a mask of protection. I’ll join you soon.”

"... then only on half of your face, away from the bandage. Or I'm cleaning it off again." Zizi returned to the kitchen and sat down with a hard thump on her chair. She sighed, her shoulders sagging as she ran a hand back through her hair. This was never going to go away... there were more children of Kahli's out there. Hundreds more... she wanted to yell and scream and cry... but what good would it do?

When Grievous returned to the kitchen to take her seat, half of her face was appeared tame, docile even. With no paint, she had small scratches on her face, but was rather petite. On the other half she tried to detail the terror in the skull factor. “Is Sylvain being fed?”

"I asked the other dragons to take Sylvain to the stable." Zizi tapped the side of the head. "We have a mental link, so we don't need to talk face to face like this. Sylvain is gorging on fish and dried jerky."

“Good.” The Waku leaned forward over the table, even her unpainted side pulling off a mean look. “Who exactly is my father? Don’t think of today. What kind of man is he that you know of him?”

"Kahli... he's..." Zizi was not expecting such a question. She took a breath to steady her nerves. Even though she tried to keep her voice from shaking, it was difficult. "I-I... I met Kahli over 25 years ago in one of my greenhouses. That day, he was hurt and running from enemies. I helped him and... he's been at my side ever since. He's a great father and does his best to look after everyone he cares about. He works very hard on the plantations and provides for many people with his job. Despite having harsh beginnings with my brother-in-law, he has done his best to mend that relationship." She swallowed thickly, blinking back tears. "He always said he loved me, but... I can't trust him anymore. He... he cares more about following orders than he does his family and I was a fool not to see it sooner." Zizi took a napkin and wiped at her cheeks. "Sorry, I... this is a lot to take in."

“Following orders is the way of a Hasai. It’s like this mental string.” She tapped at her own forehead. Stopping, she studied this sad woman. “How much did he love you? Your family? Was he a good man?”

"Kahli loved me enough to stay here in Hyrule. To give me a family, to help raise his family, to protect his family... nearly panicked when I hemorrhaged giving birth to our triplets. To leave his life of duty for the Empire behind... so I thought." Zizi looked so... so defeated. She felt like she had not only lost her husband, but her whole foundation of trust. "He... he is a good man... was a good man... but... I just can't trust him after this." She told her, "Grivy, Lorleidians feel a pull of magic to their soulmate. It's not based on attraction or lust, it's just... you look at that person and you can't imagine life without them. It's rare, but it happens with Lorleidians. It happened with me." The Zemlja then said, "But when trust is broken... when secrets are kept... it brings nothing but pain. And some wounds just never heal."

“How many children do you have with him? Who are the offspring more important than I?”

"More important?" Zizi placed a hand on Grivy's shoulder. "You are no more or no less important than my children. Everyone has worth." She then added, "And to answer your question... I have fifteen children. Five sons and ten daughters."

“But I wasn’t good enough for him, now was I.” Grievous took a bite from the food presented to her. Was lukewarm by this point. “They probably are perfect. His hand-crafted biological children.”

"I don't know the whole story, Grivy, so I'm a bit in the dark too. Though Kahli kept this secret from me, he shouldn't be cruel to you either." Zizi sighed and then told the girl. "I love my children, but all of them have their flaws. Manaco is too impatient like his father. Ahusaka is a perfectionist. Keira hates last minute surprises... I could go on. But I do know he loves them."

“I’m one of 660 clones more or less. I’m supposed to be raised as a soldier for the Grand army of the Kikai Empire... they sound like people who received individual care.”

"... it figures Zannah was trying to formulate a plan to increase her army. She's obsessed with power." Zizi felt her temper flare, cause the table to begin to sprout thorns. "That... that bitch manipulating my husband..."

The girl rested her fork on the table, silent for a long time. “The Emperor is God to the Hasai. To oppose her will is nigh impossible. I like to fight, I like adventure, but to be an iron clad soldier? I wanted my personal freedom. To be a warrior for my own battles. I’m one of the only Waku to think this way though. I might be the only one.”

"She's a damn mortal, don't believe her lies. If she bleeds, she can die. The true immortals are in the heavens. To try to copy their design is blasphemy." Zizi told Grivy firmly. "She might be the ruler of the Hasai Empire, but she's just that. Another ass on a throne. To treat her own people as nothing more than pawns for her benefit is abuse." She held Grivy's hand. "Even if you are the only one who thinks this way, you are allowed to think this way. You are your own person. You decide what you want. Not someone else." Zizi took a breath and then added, "And until you decide what you want for your life, you are welcome to stay here."

Grievous didn’t know what to think at first to that. While formulating an answer, her attention was grasped by something. Grabbing a knife, she hid behind a couch. “Someone is coming. Hide.”

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait just a minute, that's probably just one of my kids!!!" Zizi hurried after Grivy. "They all know how to get into the---"

"Mom?" Keira walked in, seeing her mother hovering over a stranger. "... what are you doing?"

“You can’t take me back!” All Grievous saw was another Waku ready to take her to the Empire. With a roar like a panther she leapt to pin Keira.

"WAIT!" Zizi grasped Grievous by the tail and ended up sailing forward with the stranger. It was the maternal instinct to protect her own child, but the forethought of not harming Grivy either. Keira yelped and managed to jump out of the way. Yet the tail grab resulted in Grivy and Zizi both ending up on the floor. Zizi fell on top of Grivy, and Grivy's face met the floor. Muffled by the girl's back, Zizi grumbled, "I said to wait. Some of my kids live here too besides me, you know. I'm not that old."

"Uh... Mom? Are you okay?" Keria helped her mother to her feet as well as the stranger. She then sniffed Grievous and looked perplexed. "You smell... familiar. Have we met?"

"... sweetie... let's just say you're in for a long story." Zizi told her daughter with a sigh. "And your dad is in the doghouse."

Grievous gave out a shrill scream as her tail was yanked, not exactly thrilled to eat the floor again. Getting up, she locked eyes with Keira, slowly backing away. This woman was much older. She must have been a threat.  

"What did Dad do this time?" Keira thought it was one of the usual nuisances that made her mother mad. "Did he eat all your ingredients for a strawberry cake again?"

"No, he..." Zizi had to swallow her emotions again. "Keira. This is Grievous. Your sister."

"...? Huh?" Keira really looked confused now. "Sister? But... how can that be? The bond prevents Dad from---"

"Zannah made him give... donations from what Grivy told me."

"...?!?! What?! But she's... that had to be years ago!"

"I know. And he didn't tell me or anyone else."

Grievous stepped away from Keira a little further. “Are you the eldest daughter of Kahli?”

"I am..." Keira was still processing the situation. Her father had other children out there. Exactly how many? Why did he let this happen? Oh, spirits, how was Manaco going to take this? This was... was bad. Very bad. "I have nine sisters and five brothers. I... um..." She was more like Zizi in the sense of viewing this was not Grivy's fault. The newcomer did not ask to be placed in this situation. "I guess... it's not too bad to have another sister. We already outnumber the boys, so... that's a good thing." She then paused and thought for a moment before asking. "What did Dad think of this?"

"I don't care what he thinks," Zizi returned to her seat at the dining table. "I put him in the hospital so he's going to stay there for a little while."

"The hospital?! Mom, what did you do?"

"What do you think I did?" Zizi retorted as if it was obvious. "I kicked his ass for lying to me."

"... I don't know what to say." Now, Keira really appeared to be shocked. Her mother did not have a violent bone in her body. She hardly ever raised her voice even, but here, she was admitting to attacking her dad?! "Is he... dead?"

"No, he's not dead, but he's going to wish he was if he comes crawling back here." Zizi told her daughter. "If you go to see him, he's not welcome here anymore. He can stay with Manaco if he wishes."

"... you're not going to talk to him?"

"Not right now. I lashed out... and you know a Zemlja can be deadly if we wish it so."

"I know, Mom... I just... I can't believe Dad did such a thing."

"You know how many times Zannah called him and he followed like a puppy."

“No one can defy the will of the Emperor.” Grievous immediately reflected, knowing the hypocrisy of that statement. “Not for long...” Looking back to Keira, the teenager started to tiptoe around her. “You are the eldest of our generation then. Chief female... you look soft.”

"The Emperor can kiss my shiny brown ass."

"Mom!"

"I was a good friend to her, Keira, you know it, and she was laughing behind my back all this time."

"We'll figure this out eventually." Keira then jolted when Grievous started to circle her, as a predator would a prey. "Soft? I... um... is that a compliment or an insult? I assure you, I can fight, Dad taught me how. I'm a Vatra, though Urboro and Miku are both Zemljas."

“Vatra?” Grievous was nearly to the door, still eying Keira like the older woman was going to snap her in two.

"I use fire. Mom uses earth." Keria explained to Grievous with a smile. "It's a Lorleidian trait! Come, I'll show you what I mean." And, like Zizi, Keira was the bubbliest of her siblings. She also had that sixth sense about others. While Keira could tell that Grivy was hurt, confused, and angry, she was also afraid. That had to be redeemed. She simply took Grievous' hand and walked out the front door. "Mom, I'll be back with Grivy in a bit, I'm going to show her the community. Then, she won't be too afraid."

"Very well, make sure you don't stay out too late. Your younger siblings will be home from school soon enough, and you promised to take them dragon riding today." Zizi was starting to thank the spirits for everyday normalcy. At least it kept her mind off this... this betrayal. "And don't tell them about your father. I'll explain it to them myself later."

"As you say."

Grievous was shocked, being so quickly pulled along. “Where are you taking me? I am not afraid.”

"To the plantations! Every single type of Lorleidian works there, as well as some Hylians, Gorons, Moblins, Goblins, a few Hasai, and even dragons!" Keira knew she had to make the best of the situation. While her mother was hurting, and she herself was upset, she had to remain strong. Not only for her mother, but for her siblings too. "I'll introduce you and you can see how we work."

“You said you’d show me your fire.” Grievous had enough, pulling away to stand her ground. “I see no strategy in getting to see your plantation.”

"I figured you'd want to meet a few more of your siblings and see our close knit community." Keira shrugged her shoulders. "It'd be fun. We can always stop by the Lon-Lon Ranch for ice cream! They just introduced a new flavor called blackberry lemonade! I can't wait to try it!" She then added, "But my fire isn't like my father's fire... well, not exactly." She held out her hand and a flame flickered to life in her palm. "Since I'm half Lorleidian, my magic is a little more stable."

“I... no. No! I did come here to meet a family I do not know.” The teenager felt dreadfully confused, knowing she was losing track of her purpose. She pointed her finger at Keira’s flame. “And do all of you lack passion in your flame?”

"Why not? They'd want to meet you." Keira told Grivy honestly, having no reason to lie. "That's how Lorleidians are. We take care of our own and those we call family and friends." She glanced at her flame and then back at Grivy. "Passion? Oh, I can do a lot more than this, I just didn't want to show off. My brothers do that enough."

“You are not proud of your fire? You are not proud of the flame that burns within? I am Grievous! Waku of Hasai and Dal combined.” The teenager felt her time was being wasted with her half-sister. She wanted her to see with her own eyes that this younger woman could be taken seriously. With each hand, Grievous lit a blazing bone fire in each hand. In the right, a green flame. The left, a blue flame. With a little dance, she brought both hands together to fire lightning into the air, making an explosion of fireworks of blue and green. “Look and feel my passion. You will take me seriously, or you can step down as eldest to Kahli. I do not care for your cream made of ice. I will not be tricked. Now I demand you reply in kind.”

"Goodness, you don't know how to just... chill, do you? Or even have fun?" Keira felt sorry for the girl. Knowing Zannah, this half-sister of hers was raised to be nothing but a solider. "You don't get it, do you? Rank? Being the best? That's not what gets attention here. What gets attention here isn't passion or fighting or even having the most power. Here, we simply love each other for who we what. Not what we can do." Keira gently took Grivy's hands, and then closed her eyes. There was suddenly a ring of fire surrounding them and circled higher and higher, toward the sky. The two of them were standing inside a vortex of flames. She then opened her eyes, glowing a soft yellow. "I have passion, like you asked. Though here, there's no need to use such unless we are protecting who we love."

Grievous looked up, her yellow eyes wide with wonder. She didn’t look away for a moment, wanting to capture it in her mind forever. “Passion is not tied to battle. Or ranks. It’s not wanting to be the best. Passion is wanting to do your best. Passion is being the most serious about your abilities and drive. Passion is your art form. Keira. You have a dazzling fire. I truly believe you are my blood.”

Slowly, the vortex started to sink to the ground and disappear.

"Then I have plenty of passion. Though, I'm more like my mother in the sense of fighting; I don't like to fight unless I have to." Keira explained to Grievous. "You shouldn't have to fight unless you want to as well. You're not a pawn, you're just you. You're special just the way you are." She then sighed and said, "And I'm really sorry for... well... all of this. I had no idea. My mother didn't either. I think... we're all pawns in Zannah's game somehow. But now, that you're here, you can stay with us for a while if you don't want to return to the Empire."

“In my experience, to fight is to battle. To battle is to throw your all into a cause. The Empire is highly restrictive on who you can battle against. It is not my own battles I fight for, but the Empires. That is why I risked deserting my platoon. It is why I came here, to seek answers on my bloodline. I seek to battle our father if we must.” The teenager examined Keira up and down, wondering if she could take her in a skirmish. “Do you like to spar? Still an activity of strength, yet does not have the same stress of battle? How about to fish or hunt wild game?”

"Oh, my siblings and I spar almost everyday. I'm not big on fishing, cause ew, worms. But I do go hunting." Keira told Grivy with a grin. "Dad insists, but I'm curious. Why do you want to fight my---I mean, our father?"

“I want him to feel the sting of defeat. He is a legendary whisper amongst the Waku. I wish to test if he’s a legend, or merely a whisper.” Grievous squeezed her right hand into a righteous fist. “I would make him proven wrong to look down on me.”

"Uh... how did he do that?" Keira wanted clarification. "Look down on you? Wait, did he come to like... see you, years ago or something? Or no? Sorry, I don't have all the details."

“He must have. We’ve never met him. Some of us never had any father figures. He claimed we are not his children. Yet he had love for you, didn’t he? What makes you so different?” The look Grievous gave Keira was burn in her eyes. There was a great hatred, but also a terrible pain.

"... my mother." Keira admitted to Grievous with a small frown. "His love for my mother makes him love me since I am part of her. But... even though I love my father, he shouldn't deny you just to try to appease my mother. That's not right."

Grievous kicked the dirt, turning her back on Keira. “Her? That little woman? What’s so great about her? The fact she can nearly obliterated him in one magical torrent, while I am thrown out like trash in my first interaction with the man?”

"... the fact that she loved him when no one else would." Keira said very softly. "Dad didn't have... the greatest of upbringings. He has his faults and flaws, though... Mom saw past that and chose to love the man. Not the Hasai."

“What is so wrong with being Hasai?” The tone Grievous spoke was not one of being offended, but in fact as if she knew the answer. “Is he a good father to you?”

"... I think you know, Grivy. You see how Zannah treats you, what she did to our Dad." Keira then nodded her head. "He was very good to me. Never laid a hand on me. Taught me right from wrong. To try to see the good in others even though we might not care for them. And to always be there for each other. He wanted a family because he never had one growing up where he felt loved."

The Waku’s tail wagged aggressively about, not liking the story of hearing Kahli be so loved, and loving in return. “I don’t belong with the rest of you then.”

"Why not? What makes you so sure?" Keira used logic. "Dad thought he didn't have a place here. Mom proved him wrong."

“You think I can prove Kahli wrong? He broke my nose!” She pointed at her still bruised face.

"... my aunt proved her husband wrong. He broke her ribs and she busted his nose." Keira pulled Grivy in for a hug. "And so what if you can't prove him wrong? You proved me right. Wait, that came out... feh, you know what I mean."

When Grievous was hugged, she heated up with the force of a radiator. “What is this? Pity? You hug me because you’re older and feel sad for me?”

"No, I hug you cause well... you look like you've never been hugged. Like a real hug." The heat did not bother Keira. She could absorb it and store the magic later. "Why would I feel sorry for you? You're obvious still here. You didn't give up."

“I don’t know what to make of you.” Grievous broke free from the hug, opting to sit on a park bench. “I’ve decided to wait here for Kahli. I care not for your ice flavoured cream.”

"Good, I like to keep people guessing." Keira then asked. "Are you sure? I was going to introduce you to your other brothers and sisters."

“No. I don’t want to meet them. I don’t care about you. I don’t care about any other children. I just want to fight Kahli and force him to answer all my burning questions. Now go away.” Grievous closed her eyes tightly, trying to push her growing frustrations away.

"... if you need a familiar face, I'll be in Greenhouse #9." Keira decided not to push Grivy further and headed in the right direction for work.

________________________________________________________________

Previous Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/610964435241140224/burnt-heart-ch-1-the-emperors-will

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/611455983362949120/burnt-heart-ch-3-breach-of-trust

Crossover with @ridersoftheapocalypse. 

#crossover #ridersoftheapocalypse #Zizi #Kahli #Dal Grievous #Waku #Hasai #Drama #Lorliedian

[glottia-arts]

Star Wars (mostly OC) dump

Pic 1 - I'm not posting this by itself because that's just sad leaving Nihilus alone without other pure Star Wars character things.

Drew this because my brain was like "Ok, where's KOTOR 2?" after the announcement of KOTOR 1 being remade. So here's Nihilus waiting for his turn patiently.

Pic 2 - Fun fact for a friend who might read this: This was the first drawing I did for General Grievous, not that one that I posted earlier in the year involving Lego Star Wars shenanigans.

Grievous is a dad to a baby dragon now, I'm sorry I don't make the rules. Ok, I do because my story and AU, but whatever.

They actually never meet on friendly terms despite some of his matter makeup being part of Dar-Jee Dal, so this was to make me happy and let him have the time he never got with the boy as a baby.

Pic 3 - Just a concept for my Sun Dragon, Solaren. If they ever reveal how these things look in-universe, she'll be changed, but for now, she'll look similar to this.

Solaren becomes Dar-Jee Dal's mate later on in life.

If I remember correctly, I made her for the intent of my self-insert thing for the original trilogy since I liked what I read on their Wookieepedia page and wanted to throw another middle finger at Palpatine. Get cucked by a figurative AND literal Sun Dragon. Then the remainder of the Empire will feel the wrath of hers and Dar-Jee Dal's son during the timeline of the Mandalorian.

For the prequel trilogy self-insert, she has more of a prominent role and was introduced to Dar-Jee Dal when they were hatchlings, so thus why I tried to think of a look for her as a young dragon as well. Yes, she will cuck Palpatine in more than one timeline, it is law.

#year end work dump #Dar-Jee Dal #Solaren #original character #Darth Nihilus #General Grievous #glottia arts

[reginaldqueribundus]

Star Trek: Prodigy

I come to you today, fellow Star Trek fans, to say give Prodigy a chance. Yeah it’s aimed at kids and yeah it’s CGI, and yeah it’ll probably make a bunch of continuity errors etc., but I watched the first ep and holy crap it is so much better than it has any right to be. Consider the following:

It’s doing something different, in a way that’s refreshing rather than frustrating

the animation looks fucking AMAZING:

it has, IMO, the most interesting and original premise of any Star Trek series in 15 years

it has Janeway (technically not the real Janeway, just a hologram, but still — voiced by Kate Mulgrew and everything)

most of the characters are interesting

I actually want to see what happens next

where you can watch it

Like everything else Trek these days, your options are Paramount+ or the high seas, though it’s on Crave if you’re in Canada, and it’s supposed to air on Nickelodeon at some point

what it’s about

Without getting into spoiler territory, it’s about a group of alien kids who stumble on the abandoned Federation starship Protostar and use it to escape the crappy prison mine where they all live.

I seriously recommend checking it out! If you aready have (or don’t care), characters and SPOILERS are below the cut!

the characters:

Dal R’El: the self-appointed leader. He’s clever, confident, and never knows when to quit — almost a purple teenage Han Solo. No one knows what species he is, not even him.

Gwyn: she’s the bad guy’s daughter and helps him run the place, though it seems she’s not entirely thrilled about it. Speaks a million languages. She and her father are the last members of a new species called the Vau N’Kat.

Rok-Tahk: a huge, pink, virtually indestructible rock monster who also happens to be a little girl. (She’s a Brikar, a species featured in the New Frontier novels but never seen onscreen before.)

Jankom Pog: a Tellarite engineer who likes to argue. His hand is a prosthetic that functions as a cybernetic multitool.

Murf: a blue blob that makes weird noises and tries to eat everything. My money’s on him turning out to be a baby changeling or something.

Hologram Janeway: the Protostar’s Emergency Training Hologram, based on the great Kathryn Janeway and designed to assist the crew.

The Diviner: Gwyn’s asshole dad who runs the mine as a cover for finding the Protostar, which he really wants for some reason.

Drednok: an evil robot who works for the Diviner. He’s basically General Grievous, but better than it sounds.

Answers I desperately want to know after the first episode:

What are the Vau N’Kat and why are there so few of them left?

Are they psychic? Why do their hair-tentacles glow sometimes?

What the hell is Dal?? Or Murf for that matter?

Where did Drednok and the Watchers come from?

What was the Protostar designed for?

How did it end up unmanned and sitting in the middle of an asteroid in the Delta Quadrant? How did the Diviner know about it?

Why is he called “the Diviner”? Is he a cult leader?

On that note, why are there so many Alpha/Beta Quadrant species (Medusans, Tellarites, Caitians etc.) in the Delta Quadrant?

Are they gonna go back for that little Caitian girl? What about the other prisoners?

Are the Borg still around?

my favourite moment: when Dal said “I thought I could be the captain!”

#star trek #star trek prodigy #a post by me™ #dal r'el #sam rambles about star trek again

[trustthechef]

On Moash and morality

When I first finished Stormlight and finally got to delve into the fandom without fear of spoilers (mfw I realized they’re part of the Cosmere) one of the things that struck me was the level of hate out there towards Moash. For fans of a book series which thematically emphasizes second chances, the genuine vitriol really surprised me – particularly when Moash’s actions seem far easier to justify to me than some of what seems to have been forgiven and forgotten by other characters (Dal that’s you darling). I’d love to talk this through with people. There seem to me to be two central reasons to hate Moash: either for killing Elk, or for betraying and hurting Kala. Let’s take the first: Killing Elk. To Moash, this is justice. Elk was responsible for the indirect murder of Moash’s grandparents, his only living family and his caretakers. Certainly, without Moash’s intervention there will be no reckoning of any description for this crime, and there is no plausible option for Moash to seek a more legal or less extreme form of justice - the man’s the storming King. It’s assassination or nothing. With this in mind, it’s the injustice of Elk’s death that gets many people – he was trying to be a better person, he was young and misled when the deaths occurred, etc. These are generally reasonable and I don’t condone Moash’s actions. That said, I completely understand them. I wouldn’t accept character growth a reason to forgo traditional legal justice in our world, so why should I expect grief-ridden, justifiably angry-at-the-world Moash to accept them as a reason to forgo the eye-for-an-eye (only) form of justice available to him in his world. In addition to this, while Elk was developing and under constraints not instantly identifiable to an outside observer, he was still a King presiding over horrific injustices – some of which Moash suffered through (see: bridgemen). There’s a reason Kala nearly went through with the assassination himself. Again, this is not to say Moash was in the right, merely that I think his actions under this particular standard are both understandable and forgiveable in light of other second chances given (Gaz, Dal, Elk himself, etc). Is it simply that everyone else made their mistakes in the past, whereas we lived through Moash blowing his first chance? So, now to the other (in my eyes far more grievous) sin of almost killing Kala for getting in his way. Moash betrays the loyalty of the man who rescued him from certain death and devastating slavery. Not ideal. And yet. One of the reasons Kala was so close to Moash was because Moash never treated him as a saviour, but as a friend. Fallible. Human. Moash was not going to take Kala’s will or beliefs automatically as his own, and ultimately, Kala approves of that free will and independent thinking. And so, where Kala takes principled stands and is a “destination before journey” kind of guy, Moash is a consequentialist. The ends justify the means – again, not my philosophy, but also not an uncommon one societally. Certainly, an understandable one. When the clash between what Moash believes to be right and what Kala does occurs, they both actually make the same decision – you stand up for what you believe in regardless of who stands in your way. Moash tries to kill Elk even if he has to go through Kala and Kala defends Elk even if he has to hurt Moash to do so. If one has to choose between one's morals and one's friends, one should choose their morals, right? Altogether, I think what Moash did was wrong and killing Elk was wrong. But storms, I get it? Particularly given I don't object to the principle of the thing Moash did - if anyone killed Amaram (or indeed, when Adolin kills Sadeas) I'm perfectly willing to stand over that morally. The issue for me lies in the scale, directness, intent, likely future, etc of Elk's mistakes, rather than the lack of honour in the act of murdering him. Add to this that the hate seems so disproportionate to the crime in a fandom that adores Dal and deals well enough with Szeth and Tar, etc. There’s also something for me in the fact that his drive to avenge the only family he had was how he ended up in the bridge crews in the first place, so Kala saved him, but for what purpose, if not this? Bridge Four breaks Moash along with everyone else, and then Kala comes along and relights his purpose, and here is this guy who also hates lighteyes and wants justice and Moash trusts him, thinks he'll be on his side. And he's not. Devastating. Moash has also shown regret over hurting Kala, and you see from his perspective chapters how truly angry he was and still is to get to that point in the first place – Moash thinks /he/ was betrayed /first/. Incidentally, I’d also love to just overall debate the moral philosophy at play here: Ultimately, the reason Kala refuses to assassinate Elk is because it would break his oath to protect, rather than because he believes Elk’s death would certainly be wrong in and of itself. But lying/oath-breaking is a complex moral area (@shallan); isn't it preferable to break your word than to allow injustice like murder:slavery:torture to continue? Hmu people. I love debating moral philosophy and I'm a very amiable person to disagree with.

#Moash #kaladin #stormlight archive #morality #kaladin stormblessed #quandries baby #elkohar #king elkohar #bridge four #dalinar #words of radiance #oathbringer

[magicnightfall]

HE CAN BE MY JAILER, BURTON TO THIS TAYLOR

Sì, gente, sì, abbiamo capito che il video di ...Ready For It? e il testo di ...Ready For It? non c’entrano nulla l’uno con l’altro, non c’è bisogno di ripeterlo fino alla nausea, abbiamo afferrato il concetto. Ma se la cosa vi turba fin nei più reconditi recessi dell’animo, non temete, ho io la soluzione per voi: sostituite il testo con l’introduzione a Star Wars - Episodio III e sbam! problema risolto.

È guerra! La Repubblica crolla sotto gli attacchi dello spietato Signore dei Sith, conte Dooku. Si contano eroi in ambedue gli schieramenti. Il Male è ovunque. Con un'azione spettacolare, il malvagio comandante dei droidi, generale Grievous, è entrato nella capitale della Repubblica e ha rapito il cancelliere Palpatine, capo del Senato della Galassia. Mentre l'Esercito Separatista di Droidi cerca di abbandonare la capitale assediata insieme al prezioso ostaggio, due Cavalieri Jedi sono alla testa di un'impresa disperata: liberare il Cancelliere prigioniero...

Perché è vero che la canzone parla di un innamoramento - seppure con toni ben distanti da quelli carini e coccolosi a cui la vecchia Taylor ci aveva abituato (penso a Enchanted e alle sue “giocose conversazioni”, mentre qui abbiamo fantasmi, vendette, rapine e carcerieri) ma il video racconta tutt’altra storia, ponendosi in connessione più con (quella che si presume essere l’idea alla base di) reputation, che con il brano di cui è il commento visivo.

Non è infatti l’amore a tirare le fila della narrativa del videoclip, ma il dualismo introdotto già a partire dalla copertina dell’album, in cui il volto di Taylor è diviso a metà: da una parte la vera lei, e dall’altra quella invasa dalle scritte di giornale, cioè quella creata dai media per loro uso e consumo.

Ed è un dualismo che non è insito in Taylor, ma è invece esterno ed estraneo, perché calato dall’alto in modo del tutto arbitrario da soggetti terzi.

Nel video, infatti, ci sono due personaggi: uno, quello confinato in gabbia e che cerca in tutti i modi di liberarsi, è la vera Taylor, la metà a sinistra della cover dell’album. L’altro, quello vestito come un bacarozzo, è la Taylor creata dai media, la metà a destra della copertina.

Ed è proprio perché il dualismo è esterno che queste due Taylor non possono - nel lungo termine  - esistere contemporaneamente, in quanto antitesi l’una dell’altra.

I due personaggi non rappresentano le contraddizioni connaturate ad uno stesso soggetto, contraddizioni tipiche (e quindi la loro contemporanea esistenza sarebbe perfettamente legittima) di ogni persona in quanto tale perché nessuno di noi è solo bianco o solo nero, ma contraddizioni imposte da altri. Viceversa, sarebbe stato tutto un altro discorso, un altro video, un altro album.

Prendete Lo strano caso del Dr. Jekyll e del signor Hyde: è vero che all’esterno i due esistono a turno, ma è anche vero che all’interno esistono contemporaneamente: la pozione, infatti, non crea dal nulla una nuova personalità malvagia, ma fa emergere le inclinazioni che già erano presenti, anche se nascoste, nel buon Jekyll. Non c’è nulla di estraneo, tant’è vero che sia Jekyll che Hyde hanno memoria di l’uno dell’altro e Hyde può scrivere con la scrittura di Jekyll. A differenza delle Taylor di questo video, la cui dicotomia è senza dubbio esterna, quella di Jekyll e Hyde è invece interna.

Se volessimo restare nell’ambito della letteratura britannica, a questo video si attaglierebbe quindi la profezia pronunciata da Sibilla Cooman in Harry Potter e l’Ordine della Fenice, secondo cui “L’uno dovrà morire per mano dell’altro, perché nessuno dei due può vivere se l’altro sopravvive”.

E non è un caso, allora, che alla fine la vera Taylor prenda il sopravvento e uccida quella falsa, proprio perché non è possibile che esistano entrambe.

Già la stessa Look What You Made Me Do, che peraltro è anche il primo singolo estratto (quasi a voler fornire una sorta di indirizzo programmatico a tutta l’opera), poneva il dualismo in termini netti - quelli della vita e della morte - e in maniera assolutamente esplicita, senza perifrasi o eufemismi di sorta: “the old Taylor is dead”, mica “the old Taylor andò a ricevere il premio della sua carità”, che era il modo in cui Manzoni ha fatto sapere ai suoi lettori che un ignoto benefattore era schiattato prima di vedere l’incredibile raccolto di noci del suo albero rinsecchito.

Ma lì, in effetti, veniva affrontata una diversa sfumatura di quella contrapposizione: non vero contro falso, ma vecchio contro nuovo. La vecchia Taylor, quella ingenua, contro la nuova Taylor, quella nonmenefregapiùuncazzodinientefaccioquellochevogliocià.

Tutte e due legittime perché tutte e due vere (anche se la seconda nasce come reazione a fattori esterni, i media), che se in privato possono coesistere tranquillamente, per quanto riguarda il personaggio pubblico ne può esistere solo una alla volta, tanto che la vecchia Taylor è dovuta proprio morire.

(esattamente come Jekyll e Hyde, in pubblico, non esistono contemporaneamente)

E come il video precedente, anche questo è ricco di simboli, roba che ne avrebbe scritto anche Umberto Eco... se non fosse andato a ricevere il premio della sua carità.

Già il fatto che le due Taylor si pongano in contrapposizione visiva così evidente, una “nuda” e l’altra vestita come un Signore dei Sith, è un’immagine molto potente: la prima sembra voler dire “guardatemi per quella che sono, questa è la vera me”,

(but that’s what they don’t see...)

mentre la seconda indossa tutte le falsità e le bugie attribuitele nel corso degli anni.

Alla luce di tutto quanto sopra, ho trovato interessante il fatto che la falsa Taylor cerchi un contatto con la vera Taylor, quasi come volesse convincerla (e convincerci) che in realtà loro due sono solo le facce della stessa medaglia, e lei non è affatto un personaggio creato a tavolino dai giornali.

“Touch me and you’ll never be alone” nel senso, allora, che basterebbe un solo tocco perché la vera Taylor ne resti per sempre “macchiata”.

Tuttavia l'altra non ci casca e la affronta con tutto quello che ha, riuscendo a prevalere.

E senza dubbio non è un caso che la contrapposizione sia anche cromatica: la vera Taylor è bianca, la falsa Taylor è nera: luce contro tenebre, bene contro male, una rappresentazione immediata ed efficace vecchia come l’umanità stessa e in auge ancora oggi, basti pensare a come vengono “colorati” buoni e cattivi nei film Disney (qui una mia analisi nel dettaglio).

Il video è altresì disseminato di graffiti, da “This is enough” a “Ur gorgeous”, passando per “I love you in secret” e “They’re burning all the witches”, perché ormai Taylor non si accontenta più di dirci le cose attraverso le metafore delle canzoni, ma proprio esplicitamente (quel “This is enough” non vi viene da tradurlo con un bel “emmòbastaveramente”?).

Ora, per concludere finalmente un post che nasceva incartato fin dalla prima riga che ho scritto, capisco le perplessità di chi ritiene questo video poco originale e lo considera già visto (c’è in effetti chi l’ha paragonato a Bad Blood per via dell’ambientazione fantascientifica).

Tuttavia a me sembra che stia emergendo una sorta di pattern, per cui la videografia di questa era si dimostrerà perfettamente coesa: video coerenti tra loro, ma che viaggiano su un binario diverso rispetto ai testi.

Per questa ragione mi sto sempre di più convincendo che si tratterà di un “visual” album, cioè verrà rilasciato un video per ogni canzone. E spero davvero che sarà così, perché questo in particolare ha più il sapore di una premessa che di un prodotto completo in se stesso, e sembra quasi che l’idea alla base di reputation, perché possa essere raccontata al meglio, debba essere visivamente raccontata con tutte le canzoni a disposizione, e non solo con una manciata di singoli.

P.S. meno 13.

#Taylor Swift #reputation #...ready for it? #Ready For It

[vocabmeme]

New Post has been published on http://dailyvocab.com/photos/gorge/

Gorge

Gorge

(noun) a narrow valley between hills or mountains, typically with steep rocky walls and a

(noun) stream running through it.

(noun) the throat.

(noun) the crop of a hawk.

(noun) the contents of the stomach.

(noun) a narrow rear entrance to a bastion, outwork, or other fortification.

(noun) a mass of ice obstructing a narrow passage, especially a river. (Verb) eat a large amount greedily; fill oneself with food. “they gorged themselves on Cornish cream teas”

Gorge meaning in Hindi (English to Hindi meaning)

तंग घाटी, पूरा पूरा भर देना, भकोसना, कण्ठ, पर्वत के बीच का संकुचित मार्ग, बहुत खा जाना, बहुत पेट भर खा जाना, रोक, लालची की तरह खाना, स्र्कावट

Gorge origin

Middle English (as a verb): from Old French gorger, from gorge ‘throat’, based on Latin gurges ‘whirlpool’. The noun originally meant ‘throat’ and is from Old French gorge ; gorge (sense 1 of the noun) dates from the mid 18th century.

Gorge in a sentence (word usage in recent Hindu newspaper)

Uttarakhand: 9 children die as school bus falls in gorge, Nine children were killed and three others were injured after a school bus fell in a gorge in Lambgaon, Uttarakhand on Tuesday morning.

8 killed, nine injured as van plunges into Tamil Nadu gorge, At least eight persons, including three minors, were killed and nine others injured in a road accident in Tamil Nadu’s Trichy on Sunday.

Three dead, 12 injured as vehicle falls into gorge in J&K, Three persons were killed and 12 others injured, eight of them seriously, when the vehicle in which they were travelling skidded off the road …

Woman Pushed Into Deep Gorge by Live-in Partner on Way to Meet …, Dehradun: A woman from Delhi suffered grievous injuries after she was pushed into a deep gorge by her live-in partner at Uttarakhand’s Pauri …

Spicy wadas and pouring rain: Monsoon is the time to gorge on fried …, Similar fried dumplings are made from various lentils in different parts of India. In South India, one can get vadas made out of channa dal and …

Mnemonic trick to remember the meaning of Gorge 

gorge: eat too much disgorge: vomit

remember a person GEORGE who always GORGES

Gorge pronunciation

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[italianaradio]

Star Wars: il miglior duello con le spade laser tagliato da Episodio III

Nuovo post su italianaradio https://www.italianaradio.it/index.php/star-wars-il-miglior-duello-con-le-spade-laser-tagliato-da-episodio-iii/

Star Wars: il miglior duello con le spade laser tagliato da Episodio III

Star Wars: il miglior duello con le spade laser tagliato da Episodio III

Star Wars: il miglior duello con le spade laser tagliato da Episodio III

A quanto pare, George Lucas avrebbe tagliato il miglior duello con le spade laser mai visto all’interno della saga di Star Wars da Episodio III – La Vendetta dei Sith.

A sganciare la bomba è stato Nick Gillar – coordinare degli stunt e delle coreografie dei combattimenti della trilogia prequel di Star Wars – in una recente intervista con Entertainment Weekly.

Gillar ha parlato dei migliori scontri presenti all’interno dei tre film della trilogia diretta da George Lucas: ad un certo punto, lo stunt-man ha rivelato di nutrire un po’ di risentimento nei confronti di una battaglia con le spade laser tagliata dal montaggio finale di Episodio III che, a suo dire, sarebbe stata in assoluto la più epica della saga.

Secondo quanto rivelato da Gillar, nel film avremmo dovuto assistere ad un combattimento particolarmente complesso tra Obi-Wan Kenobi e le guardie del Generale Grievous. Gillar ricorda che Ewan Mcgregor si allenò tantissimo per riuscire ad imparare la difficile coreografia, dal momento che nella scena in questione doveva essere da solo ad affrontare le guardie.

Gillar ha spiegato che quando arrivò il momento di girare la scena, George Lucas si rese conto di essere fortemente in ritardo sulla tabella di marcia: così, visto che lo scontro non era davvero importante ai fini della trama, il regista decise di tagliarlo.

La soluzione finale, come ricordato anche da Gillar, fu quella di far usare la Forza a Obi-Wan, mettendo fuori gioco le guardie attraverso un container che veniva sganciato su di loro: “Era lo scontro più complicato su cui avessimo mai lavorato”, ha spiegato Nick Gillar. “George mi disse: ‘Mi dispiace, farò schiacciare le guardie da un container’.”

LEGGI ANCHE – Star Wars: il vero significato della scena finale di Gli Ultimi Jedi

Cinefilos.it – Da chi il cinema lo ama.

Star Wars: il miglior duello con le spade laser tagliato da Episodio III

A quanto pare, George Lucas avrebbe tagliato il miglior duello con le spade laser mai visto all’interno della saga di Star Wars da Episodio III – La Vendetta dei Sith. A sganciare la bomba è stato Nick Gillar – coordinare degli stunt e delle coreografie dei combattimenti della trilogia prequel di Star Wars – in una recente […]

Cinefilos.it – Da chi il cinema lo ama.

Stefano Terracina

#Cinema

[damel7]

Videogame

Articoli su cose interessanti non ne ho, dovrete arrangiati con cose noiose, oggi il topic è i videogiochi. Non andrò in ordine di console, quindi temporale, ma per argomento. Iniziamo con il calcio: il primo videogioco fu tif 2003, dove per segnare ti dovevi mettere in una determinata posizione hahaha. Il successivo fu pro Evolution soccer 5, forse il più bello sul calcio. Dal 2008 al 2010 continuammo con Pes, poi passammo a Fifa, dal 2011 al 2020, saltando però il 2019, qui qualche anno giocammo anche online a ultimate team. Sempre in ambito sportivo passiamo al basket, il cui primo videogioco fu Nba live 2006, mi piaceva il basket ma non come ora. Poi passarono anni e comprammo nba2k11 e continuammo fino al 2015, poi basta, forse saltammo il 2014. Cambiamo genere, è il turno di Harry Potter, bellissimo era la camera dei segreti, ci ho passato l'infanzia, poi simile quindi non degno di nota perché speravo cambiassero qualcosa o la pietra filosofale o il prigioniero di azkaban, comprato comunque dopo, carino invece il calice di fuoco, completamente diverso, bello il torneo tremaghi. Il più bello è però l'ordine della fenice, un sacco di missioni, tanti easter egg e potevi girare per Hogwarts quanto ti pareva. Ci fu poi doni della morte parte 1 ma come il film niente di che, bello era invece quello solo sul Quidditch, dove potevi scegliere o le case di Hogwarts o le nazionali, era diviso nella normale partita e nell'uno vs uno per il boccino. Sempre fantasy ora il signore degli anelli, c'era un gioco su tutta la saga veramente brutto che avrò giocato massimo tre volte, di un'altra staffa era il gioco per la PS2 che andava dalla battaglia per il fosso di Helm lungo tutto il ritorno del re, bellissimo. Ora passiamo ai giochi a cui sono più legato per la PlayStation: starwars. Era veramente bello la vendetta dei sith con tante missioni fighe, lo scontro con dooku, con grievous e poi dopo aver sconfitto Anakin con Obi-Wan c'era la missione in cui si faceva il contrario, eri Anakin e dovevi uccidere Obi-Wan. Quando ero piccolo poi c'erano due giochi di guerra: uno sulle guerre dei cloni di cui ricordo solo le battaglie su geonosis e Battlefront 1, carino. Crescendo poi mi sono comprato il nuovo Battlefront, per me bello anche se criticato, dove venivano mostrati pianeti interessanti come fondor e vardos, anche qui c'era l'online. Prima però il gioco non canonico il potere della forza 2, dove eri Galen marek e davvero eri Op, sul finale c'era il doppio scenario da scegliere: lato chiaro dopo il duello con vader veniva imprigionato; lato oscuro arrivava un clone di starkiller e ti uccideva. Ora il prossimo acquisto sarà Jedi fallen order. Giochi che non ho giocato io ma mio fratello sono call of duty: world of war II e God of war.

Cambiamo console, è il turno di game boy e Nintendo ds. Mi sono chiuso sul Gameboy color a Pokemon Rosso e ho finito anche blu, giallo e oro. Difficile era invece tetris. Sempre dei Pokémon non sul mio Gameboy ho giocato a Pokemon Smeraldo.

Prima di passare al ds ci sono da menzionare super Mario e Wario.

Al ds giocai mi sembra solo a Pokémon: platino, Heart Gold, ovvero il remake di Pokémon oro e infine Pokemon versione bianca.

Altre console tipo psvita, Xbox e Wii mai avute quindi ho finito qui.

#videogame #lotr #harry potter #star wars #pokemon #football

[mrneighbourlove]

Burnt Heart: Ch 3. Breach of Trust

Kahli’s head was throbbing. Every muscle of his felt like agonizing hell. His blood was dry on the edges of his mouth. How did he-

“Zizi.” With one name spoken unconsciously aloud, he remembered everything. One of his offspring from the islands arrived. His mind was racing, worries of his family in danger. That thought switched to his relationship to Zizi. By God. The lie he had been forced to keep for so long was finally revealed. And she blasted him. She blasted him! She nearly killed him! He never laid a finger on her with violence all his life as she nearly obliterated him without wanting an explanation. The next thought rested on the life debt. Would his mind shut down from the psychological burden of not being able to follow Zannah’s command? Did it even matter now the truth was out? Maybe not. Finally, his mind rested on his son. It was Manaco’s birthday, and he needed to see his boy.

Getting up from the medical table in a calm state, Kahli silently made his way to begin the journey to his son’s house.

"Will you stop nagging?"

"I'm not nagging, I'm telling you, the picture is crooked!"

"Your head is crooked!"

"Manaco, Ahusaka, stop arguing, everyone will be here in two hours for the party, and your squabbling won't make things go any faster." Urboro told her arguing brothers. "Now, one of you come over here and help me with this banner."

"I'll help you since you got the short genes of the family." Miku teased her sister.

"Like Mom."

"Shuddup and help me with this stupid banner."

Kahli had reached the house long ago. He didn’t try to hide his disheveled look, or the fact his suit was almost reduced to rags. His head rested on the door for ten minutes, the weight of his personal sins blunted into his mind like a dagger. Listening to her happiness, he felt terribly guilty. This was supposed to be his son’s special day, and, in some ways, he’d ruin it today. Finally, with only half a breath to gang courage, he walked through the door.

"What the ever-living fuck?" Urboro had no filter, just like her aunt, Zolori. "Dad! What happened?!"

"Did you pick another fight with Uncle Covarog?" Miku asked dryly, knowing all about their little spat. "I told you that's a bad idea, you'll upset Mom."

"Or did you try to hunt an over-sized boar again and it buck you off?" Ahusaka winced. "I remember that it cut you open with that tusk."

"Dad, seriously? What were you thinking? I'd like for you to be alive on my birthday." Manaco shook his head. "Sit down, I'll get you a drink."

Kahli’s eyes darted between his children. Every time he thought he had something to say, it didn’t form aloud. Sitting down, he waited for his son to get him that drink.

"So, what was it? Fight? Boar? ... gravity increasing upon you?"

"No one likes a smartass, Manaco."

"Tolerate me for a day, okay? It's my Name-Day."

Kahli stared out the window for a moment, taking sips from the beer his son provided.  “Your mother, justifiably so, tried to kill me.”

The siblings exchanged glances and started to snicker.

"Good one, Dad."

"We all know Mom doesn't like to fight."

"If she wanted to kill you, you'd be dead, you know how she is when she's mad."

"Besides, Mom doesn't have a reason to kill you, you probably just got ruffed up in a spar, right?"

Kahli gave them a gaze that looked through them. “I... hell take me. I cannot even reveal the contents of the life debt to you all, even now. No matter how much I wish I could break through the shackles of my biology. Children. I love you. Everything I’ve done has been done to keep you all and your mother safe and happy. But I’ve hurt her. I tried so hard not to, but I did. And she nearly killed me for it. You’re going to hear things about me from her. Information that is true, and truths I cannot share myself.”

Now, all the siblings had their full attention on their sire. Worriedly, the brothers and sisters looked at each other before Manaco stepped forward.

"Dad? What is it?" He felt anxious. "Is... is something wrong with you? With Mom? What's going on? You're scaring us."

"Scaring is an understatement."

"Hush, Urboro."

“I want to tell you, but I...” Kahli grasped the sides of his head, fury building up inside. “Being a Hasai is a curse. Too loyal, too many burdens. That woman. I let her use me because my body wouldn’t let me refuse. I can’t believe your mother tried to kill me. Her anger is just, but to strike me? How could she? I loved her through the burden of my secret. I did everything to guide her safety through life. It tears me up that I can’t just TELL YOU!” Kahli was now clawing his skin, nails digging into flesh.

"Okay, this is more serious than a birthday party." Manaco motioned for his siblings to follow him. "We'll go talk to Mom. You stay here, get some rest, and there's food and water in case you need it. There's no way Mom would hit you without a damn good reason. We'll be back." With that, Manaco and his siblings hurried out the door.

Kahli waited in the house, silence his only companion now. How long did he wait? He had no idea. He scarcely remembered the dinner he devoured, or the drink he consumed. Time just didn’t phase him. He even thought of castrating himself, just as Zizi desired.

It was a long talk with her eldest children. Needless to say, all of them were shocked. The secret was... hurtful. There was no foundation left for trust. Their father had lied not only to their mother, but to all of them. Their mother blasting their father halfway across their home was another issue. While none of them liked violence, all of them agreed they had never seen her so angry or so upset before. She looked... devoid of hope. While Manaco took their mother up to the bedroom to rest, the group of brothers and sisters tried to save face. "I... what are we going to do?" Miku felt awful.

"Mom's... hell, I've never seen Mom like this. Never seen Dad like this." Urboro ran a hand down her face.

"This won't be fixed. Can't be fixed." Ahusaka had his arms crossed and was in deep thought. "Mom will never trust Dad again."

Outside Zizi’s house as the group were talking, Grievous had made herself back from the bench she waited patiently on. Kahli never came by here, so she had no idea where to look for him now. She was set on retrieving Sylvain and flying out to look for him. Spotting more half siblings, she froze.

The rest of Zizi's and Kahli's brood were coming home from school. Keira had finished work for the day and went to fetch them. Every single day, all the Slatki kids traveled from home, to school, and then back home together at the end of the class. All of them were laughing, talking, or teasing one another. They were all happy... and had no knowledge of the strife behind their house's door.

Grievous observed from afar, her Wyvern being small enough to sneak around lightly without detection. Going to the fountain, she spotted her fathers blood was still intact and not cleaned away. Her companion took a sniff of the blood and picked up a scent at her command. Climbing on the saddle, she patted his side. “Fly. Go to him.”

As soon as the rest of his brothers and sisters entered through the door, Manaco felt his stomach sink. How was he going to explain this to them? Zizi had cried herself to sleep and his siblings had no clue. He had to keep their family together... somehow.

~

At Manaco’s house, Kahli still waited. He knew in his heart of hearts that no one would come back, least not so soon. Standing to get another drink, the door was suddenly kicked open. Before him, the same girl appeared. The same girl that helped bring his world done. Only now, she had paint down just half her face. The clearer side of her face was the same pigment of colour as him. He loathed it. “Get out of my sons house.”

“This time, you will not cast me aside so easily.”

Kahli lunged forward with an empty beer bottle. Grievous ducked, kicking high with her left foot. It sent the bottle flying into the air, raining glass down. Immediately, Kahli and her engaged in hand to hand combat. Both were ruthless, using the claws of their nails to cut deep, punching the days fresh wounds on one another. Every hit they inflicted on the other stung heavily. Finally, Grievous had the upper hand, kicking Kahli out the front door and out onto the road. “You should rejoice father. I am a warrior of the Waku. This is what you wanted, no?”

She tried to throw a punch as he was still recovering. The man caught it, and her hand sizzled with his flame generating from his body. To two Waku, however, this merely was a visual indicator the fight would grow more serious instead of being burnt. “You are not my child. I never asked to be your father.”

Pulling her arm forward, Kahli slugged her in the face with his free arm. He kept her in place, punching her twice more.

Growing weary, Grievous kicked Kahli in the chest, and explosion of lightning sending him flying back into the gravel of the road. Fire could be absorbed, but electricity was another matter. “You let the Emperor create an army from your DNA.”

“My life debt gives me no choice. I did everything I could for my family regardless of the predicament I was in. You coming here jeopardizes their lives. Foolish girl.”

Kahli rose, and blasting the ground with fire to rock himself forward, he dived kicked right into Grievous’ chest before she could react.

The girl slammed into a piece of fencing, reopening her head wound once more. To be honest with herself, she was scared. Kahli was using fire to effectively harm her, something unknown to most Waku. She feared she wouldn’t live long to use such brilliant tactics herself. “You didn’t even think of me? You didn’t think of the others?”

“It was forbidden girl. I had my own family to attend to. You think anyone could possibly be father to hundreds? Surrender, go home, and never come back. I’m sure you have your own family who is concerned for you. A mother. Half-siblings who care for you on whatever island you reside.”

As Kahli walked towards her, his hands knuckles cracked. “Or maybe I should turn you into a bomb and be done with it.”

“What?” No Waku she knew had that power, but she believed it from the conviction in his voice. Despite her fears, she took another battle stance. “If it means making an impression on you, then I’ll gladly die.”

“You’ll what?” Kahli paused just advance, taken aback. Grievous used this moment to try and another attack of lightning, but Kahli caught her hand. At first it shot in the air past his face, but at a twist, the energy quickly fizzled out. “To throw your life away so carelessly, where is the point of that?!”

What ended the fight wasn’t another punch, or blast of lightning, but a slap to the face from the man. Grievous’ voice was high from that, and she fell to the ground. Her father looked down at her, crossing his arms and shaking his head. “My life in shambles. No thanks to you... but no thanks to my fault as well. To tell you the truth, I simply don’t have the heart to kill you. Stay. Go. I’m going back inside for another drink. Think about your own mortality.”

While townsfolk shuddered at the battle and the magic being launched about, Grievous picked herself up to follow Kahli like a puppy who didn’t know anything else better.

Kahli sat on a chair, grabbing another bottle of beer. Seeing Grievous join him in silence, he went to pantry to grant her a drink of water. Separate, they had their beverages in silence.

It took a long while to explain what happened to his younger siblings. All of them were notably upset. Some had no words, others had many. Anger, hurt, and sadness... all of it was overwhelming. Ahusaka and Keira volunteered to look after the siblings while Manaco went to talk to their father. The slight amount of destruction was... notable. Something happened. Entering his own house, he saw... a stranger sitting there. The stranger Keira told him about. The one who was responsible for lifting the lid on his father's box of secrets.

"Dad... we need to talk."

“Haha, do we?” Kahli laughed bitterly. “No doubt you have learned the truth that I have been forced to keep inside for so, so long.”

"Yes." Manaco glanced at Keira. "She's my baby sister. I know that much."

“Her? From a certain point of view. Yes.”

"I want to know how all this came to be, and why... no..." Manaco took a breath, trying to reign in his anger. "I want to know how you could do something to my mother like that."

“Manaco. You remember that time you walked in on that flower garden I was going to make for your mother and all the siblings you had at the time? I know how much it excited you, and I knew you wanted to tell the others. But then I made you keep a promise. You later described it to me as a mental tick. You were still terribly excited, but you kept your word to not tell a soul until it was revealed. Tell me son, do you remember?”

"Of course I remember, but this is way different than a flower bed, Dad." Manaco did not look too impressed. "Secret or not, this... spirits, why Dad? Why?!" Manaco punched a hole in the wall to keep from lashing out at his own father. "Why must you always go crawling back to Zannah?! If you're so loyal to her, why did you stay with Mom?!"

Kahli gave his son a look after he punched a hole in the wall. It was the look to calm down, or he’d have something to be mad about. “There is nothing of loyalty about it. A life debt to a Hasai is similar to a promise, only so much more. Can you imagine being a prisoner to your own mind son? To scream out the pain you feel at a secret you keep, but are unable to share? How dare you express a will for violence when you don’t try to even understand the prison I’ve been in against my own mind and spirit. You think I wanted this? For you to break so easily is pitiful. No. It’s insulting. Despite being humiliated all my life, I’ve done nothing but care for and love you all. Especially your mother.”

"Don't you turn this around on me. I have a right to be angry too, and so does she!" Manaco pointed at Grievous. "I don't have to imagine being a prisoner, cause I never would have allowed myself to be one in the first place! Don't you understand?!" He growled. "Mom doesn't trust you anymore. She told me, personally, and I quote 'if he walks through that door, I'll give him another reason to hurt'. That's not how my mother acts! My mom doesn't want to hurt someone. This family is trying to fall apart, but I did my best to explain back there to all my brothers and sisters what happened. They're all furious with you and they're all hurting."

“I fell into The Emperor’s hand a long time ago. How was I to imagine that she’d do THIS to me? To have me be a vessel to raise my tribe from the depths of genocide.” Kahli stood tall, getting eye to eye with his son. “Zannah made it clear she would take you all away if I refused, if by some miracle I broke free from the mental chains of my debt to her. And I believed her. I have done nothing but love, care, and look after you all. Be furious, but know I did everything for you all while under her pressure.”

Grievous was going to add something, when Kahli started to spew more hurt anger. “She can try. But that is my house as well. That is my memories I made with her. I never hurt any of you, least made a move to kill.”

"You think I don't know that?! We know that you love us, took care of us, still look after us!" Manaco shouted. "I'm trying my best to see your point and my mother's point, but I don't want to pick a side! I want this to go back to normal, and I know it's not, and what's killing me, is having my younger sisters who don't fully understand, asking me why Mom is mad at Dad. I explained it the best I could, but all they know, is Mom and Dad are fighting and they don't like it. So you," Manaco opened the closet door and pulled out a pillow and a blanket. "Are going to stay here until Mom calms down, and you," He pointed at Grievous. "Are going to my Mom's house. She doesn't want you staying here, cause you two aren't going to start up a ruckus again, she's not going to deal with it. My house, my rules. Go."

“Manaco... no. If we don’t talk now, she’ll talk to her sisters. Then Zarazu will tell Covarog, who will tell Ralnor and this whole situation will grow so much uglier.”

Grievous shook her head. “Why should I go there?”

"Mom said she doesn't want to talk to you right now and she's got a whole barricade of plants, vines, and thorns around the house." Manaco shoved the pillow and blanket into his father's arms. "And Mom's not so foolish to tell them until she calms down. She knows how 'precious' the alliance is with the Empire, and that my aunties would want to throttle you. So no, she's not telling them." He then pointed to the door. "Mom said with her, you'll respect her wishes, and you'll respect my wishes as your older brother. Now."

“Older brother? You are the eldest child of Kahli?” Grievous looked ten times more rigid and defensive around him then she did with Keira.

"Yes, I am." Manaco told Keira sternly, "I am the eldest of all fifteen of my brothers and sisters. Sixteen now."

“Try 669 others.”

“What?!” Kahli yelled out. Even he was blindsided by the number.

"... eldest of them as well." Manaco took a slow breath.

Kahli had no idea how to process that. With a definite number, he only came to one conclusion as he breathlessly whispered it in defeat to himself. “And yet not even close to finishing the life debt.”

"By the spirits, no wonder Mom lost her shit." Manaco muttered under his breath. "Look, I'm only going to say this one more time. Go to my mother. While you're here, she'll help you. Make sure you take your lurking pet outside as well." Then he said firmly, "And you are staying here with me so my mother will not strangle you."

Both Grievous and Kahli looked to Manaco, contemplating it over. Finally, they both agreed with a ‘fine’, one more begrudgingly, the other with very little care.

The girl jabbed her finger at Manaco’s chest. “I want to challenge you to combat to test your reign of eldest sibling. Tomorrow of course.”

Manaco was already on edge. He had a darkness in his eyes. Backing Grievous up against the wall, he was radiating a foul aura. His mother was heartbroken. His father had kept a horrid secret that could potentially break the family apart. And now, his supposed little sister wanted to fight him.

"You're an idiot if you think you will win against me." Manaco whispered menacingly. "Get. Out."

“I... understood.” Grievous inched her way to the door, doing very well to hide her fear of him. In fact, it was that fear that made her comply with going to Zizi’s.

Kahli rose up to get another bottle of beer. He must have gone through half his son’s supply in the fridge. “I think she gets this fighting spirit from her other half. I don’t know any Hasai that picks so many fights. War is one thing, but brawls? Nonsense.”

"What is nonsense is the whole idea of a life debt to a so-called 'Empress' who sees you as nothing but a pawn. My family as nothing but pieces on her board." Manaco was angry with his father, but he had to try to think of a solution. While he did not want his father dead, Manaco was afraid that if his mother lashed out again at his sire, he would be six feet under the ground. "None of my siblings nor I are ever going to return to the Empire. You, on the other hand, decide what you want more and help me figure out a way to get you out of this mess."

“What I want more? I wanted, still want, to be with your mother. She is who I am loyal to. What I am to Zannah is a biological and spiritual bond of Exodrum and being a Hasai. I physically cannot deny her wish so long as I’m indebted to her.”

"Do you want to stay indebted to her or do you want to figure a way out of this mess?" Manaco asked his father, "Cause from what I understood, your life debt isn't over and may not be over before you're on your death bed. Sit here and think on it." He then said, "Get some sleep. I'll deal with you in the morning."

“Deal with me?” Kahli grabbed his son suddenly by the collar, throwing him onto the couch. Besides combat drills, this was the most physical he’d ever been with him. “You speak of me as some animal? A burden? You will do well to mind your tongue boy. And think on it? How? You want us to beg Zannah? To throw our hands and knees down to her? Or should we perhaps seek the council of a God? You listen to me Manaco. I’m going in to town to fix your fence. I am going to go to sleep. In the morning, I will go to work. What you will do is sit on this couch and think. You think about how my honour has been nothing but abused, and how lucky you are patience is my greatest virtue. Am. I. Clear?”

"Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me." Manaco growled at his father. "You won't win me over with a pity party. Mom told you long ago that Zannah was bad news. You still defended her, and Mom chose to have faith in you and now look where it has gotten her. You may blame it on the life debt, but I'm not a fool. You have more loyalty to the Empire than here." He shoved his father out of the way. "Patience? Your greatest virtue? Ha! Your greatest talent is keeping a secret." He then walked up the stairs. "I got another shift in a few hours, and I'm going to rest. I don't care what you do."

Kahli said nothing to his son. If he didn’t care what he did, then those were his words. With that, Kahli made left his sons house. Up until the moon rose over Hyrule, he went to town and back, fixing all the damage and cleaning up the mess in his house. Finally, he went inside to shower. This day... this day was the beginning of the end for him. And Kahli knew things would never be the same. ________________________________________________________________

Previous Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/611234309094948864/burnt-heart-ch-2-trust-thunderstruck

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/612488276332478464/burnt-heart-ch-4-boiling-point

Crossover with @ridersoftheapocalypse. Shared world with @s-kinnaly

#Crossover #ridersoftheapocalypse #Kahli #Zizi #Hasai #Grievous Dal #Manaco #Lorleidians #Waku #Drama

[mrneighbourlove]

Burnt Heart: Ch 6. Trading One Pain for Another

At the Hylian Kingdom's castle, a Hasai in armour gave the King of Hyrule a respectful bow. His militia waited outside castle grounds for him to return, and he had traveled a long way to do arrive to this country. Before he could start his mission, the Hasai wanted to be civil and cordially with the Hylian government. Would make things easier in the long run. "King Covarog. My name is Agent Hresvelg. As a member of the Dorami tribe to the Hasai people, I'm tasked in arresting criminals and securing runaways for her majesty, Emperor Zannah. I am here with a squad of Theron to acquire one such runaway. I ask for your blessing to bring back a Hasai hiding away here in Hyrule. I promise that lethal force, or even use of weaponry or magic will not be used unless absolutely necessary. We will be in and out without being even a nuisance to the lives of your people. Is this information to your liking?"

Covarog wanted to have his wife makeup some excuse that he could not be here at this meeting. He always hated dealing with diplomatic issues pertaining to Zannah. Even over the years, he still could not shake the feeling that the Empress was always up to no good. Still, he remained somewhat civil. So, when his wife dragged him tot he throne room, he did his best to be... cordial.

"A criminal or a runaway?" Covarog repeated. "You must understand my surprise. The Empire has such strict rules and regulations, that there are hardly any of the such."

"Might we ask exactly what this person has done?" Zarazu wished to have a bit more information. "If this person has caused harm to my citizens, I would prefer to deal judgement with Zannah, not apart."

"A runaway. We know that Hasai are allowed to live in Hyrule. We'd never take a citizen who freely lives in Hyrule away unless they committed a crime against the Empire itself. Even then, we'd discuss the matter with you first. This Hasai in particular we are after fled Empire territory with damaging information that could cause infrastructure in the Empire to be crippled for a time. We believe that they might be a threat to themselves, as well as others." Hresvelg gave a nod of his head to Covarog in particular. "My grand father was the once the war hero Grand Admiral Bellum. I believe you were only a child when our people were at war, but I think you would know him. He was a level headed man, known for keeping his word and keeping respect amongst allies and enemies. So please know, I swear on his grave and family legacy that we will not be a danger to your people in our operation."

"We understand, though, before you take this perpetrator back to the Empire, we would like to speak to this person." Covarog explained to Hresvelg. "Put a face to a name, and understand why this happened, especially if they were working with another unpleasant character here in Hyrule. We do not want either of our nations in turmoil."

"A fair request, don't you agree, sir?" Zarazu asked the agent.

Hresvelg shared his grand father's poker face. He was glad too, because how the hell was he supposed to respond to that. Sorry, but his Emperor ordered that the Hylian royalty not witness the target, but I'm sure you can understand right? And he loathed lying. "I'm afraid it's highly important that the runaway is brought back immediately to Empire territory for questioning. They are also a teenager, so I imagine their parents must be ready to deliver quite the earful to them for their misbehaviour. However, out of good faith, I promise I will bring to you alive and as unharmed as allowed any unsavoury characters we have found them with. Is this request acceptable?"

"A kid?" Zarazu now sounded concerned. "How can a teenager get such vital information?"

"You know as well as I do that some children are trained to be deadly, my queen." Covarog reminded her, knowing full well of the Empire's hostile tactics. "Very well. Bring them here."

That would be good enough to not have Hylian forces interfere. "As you wish."

And that wasn't him making a promise either. Leaving the castle, Hresvelg flashed a light in the sky. Flying above a single was received, and the command was given a go.

~

Two weeks had passed since Grievous had arrived. So many days since Zizi had left her house. The Waku girl didn't know how she could help patch the relationship of her father and his wife if she didn't return. In the meantime, she slowly dropped her guard around the family, yet it seemed that Kahli never opened up to her the way he did with his other children. To them, despite tensions, he was warm, attentive and loving. Everything a father should be. To her, he was still rather indifferent. Outside, she was playing on chess board with Urboro. Kahli forbad her from initiating challenges of physical combat, so Grievous thought of different ways to see which siblings she could defeat in some ways. "My knight takes your rook."

"Annnnd... checkmate." Urboro knocked over Grievous' king with her queen. "You left your king unguarded. A knight shouldn't leave his post unless necessary. Got a little too ahead of yourself there, Grivy. I think you should stick to checkers, you beat Manaco seven times already in that game."

Grievous looked at the board, stunned in disbelief. How did she miss that? Glaring at Urboro, she didn't like the fact that she made a bet over a game of chess. "Don't be a jerk. Best two out of three."

"I'm not a jerk, I'm just took extra lessons from Uncle Ralnor in chess." Urboro grinned widely at Grievous. "Do I detect a tint of..." She held over her eyes, pretending to look, teasing. "A sore loser?"

"I just don't like you undermining my value as an intellectual. Just name your stupid prize for winning." Grievous crossed her arms, embarrassed at her loss.

"You shall have the honor of painting my toenails." Urboro set down a jar of polish in front of Grievous. "And I will paint yours."

"Painting nails? I don't understand the need."

"Of course you don't…" Urboro opened the bottle. "It's to look pretty. Feel good about yourself. To catch someone's eye, make them notice you."

"Confidence? Like my face paint? But no one can see your toes under most circumstances." Grievous had a new thought enter her mind. She never had an opportunity to speak of such things with her other half siblings or other students at the academies she attended. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

"Your lover in bed can." Urboro winked at Grivy. "A girl has got to be prepared." At her question, Urboro stared at her. "Of course you're pretty. You got an adorable tail, a huge butt, your breasts aren't that big but so what, if you'd wipe off that face paint, I guarantee you'd have a date by the end of the day. I can give you some flirting pointers and---" She gasped. "We should go bar hopping. I can totally get you a guy with a shredded eight pack."

"Wait. Are you talking about sex?" Grievous tightened at her shoulders, her tail waging back and forth anxiously. Was her butt really that noticeable? Was it due to her tail? "I'm not well versed in such matters. Are you?"

"I'm dating a Hylian blacksmith who is built like a boulder." Urboro nearly purred. "Muscles and such a big dick. Size does matter you know, but also how they use it." Her jaw nearly dropped next. "You don't know about sex?! Wait... you haven't had sex before, have you?!" She nearly squealed. "Oh goodness, I'm so totally going to get you laid."

"B-b-but what about the life bond? Wait..." Grievous' mind raced, her thoughts unable stop herself from thinking information through, even for her own good. "Before I left, one on my older half siblings at the academy was caught in what an officer described to us as an 'oral act' with another student. They would have been punished, had they not discovered neither became overly attached. They thought it was a miracle and summarized it was due to us being half-bloods." She snapped out of her thinking when she saw Urboro only smile even more. "Wait! That doesn't mean I'm looking for sex right now! I must look so bizarre to the people of this land. Is it even that good?"

"We're halves, Grivy. You're half Dal, half Waku. I'm half Lorleidian, half Waku. The Hasai life bond doesn't apply to me." Urboro flipped back her hair in a showy manner. "So you're probably not bound by it either." She then giggled, "And bizarre? Grivy, anyone who is 'new' and 'unique' is translated as exotic. You'll have men chasing your tail. Literally." She then paused. "Unless you want a woman?"

"I, um, never gave that part of my life any consideration." Grievous paused, looking at the clear nail polish bottle. "... you never told me if its good or not."

"Yes, you silly, it is good." Urboro then instructed. "Now, hold still. Appearance is one thing, but adding a little accessory never hurt anyone." She expertly started to paint Grivy's nails. "Hrm. I think metallic purple is your color."

Holding still would have to come another day. From the corner of her eye, Grievous spotted a hand motion from behind the barn. If the Kikai Empire had drilled anything into her with her teachings at the military academy, it was military tactics and strategy. Not care for her own safety, Grievous dove past Urboro, causing nail polish to slip up her leg in stroke. With an open arm, Grievous lightly close lined her half sibling to the ground to safety as an electric ball skidded by her head, every hair standing on top as a result. It appeared she was to trust her instincts to move. The trajectory of the shot would have hit Urboro had she dived left or right instead.

Men in black armour from head to toe stepped out from cover, weapons for capture using slings or shock sticks drawn, but others had crossbows trained if more violent means were necessary. "DAL! GET ON THE GROUND!"

"EEEEEEKKK!!!" Urboro was not expecting a full tackle and released a loud 'oof' when she hit the ground, feet straight up in the air. When the ball of lightning sailed past the pair, Urboro knew that there was trouble. Either someone was after her or after Grivy or trying to hurt her father. More than likely, it was Grivy, but she hoped this could be resolved... peacefully and without electrocution. "Hold onto me!" Urboro instructed Grivy, "And hold your breath!"

With that, the earth opened and swallowed both of them.

Electric shots from slings could be heard sizzling against the earth, voices being garbled by the layer of dirt between them. "Encircle the house! She's not getting away."

Grievous did as she was told, however, being trapped fully under the earth was nothing like trying to breath under water. This was far darker and murkier than she'd like.

Outside, the Theron Elite wasted no time covering any exit that the house provided. Going from assassinations to bounty hunting was

It took nearly a full minute, but Grievous and Urboro emerged inside one of her mother's greenhouse's. Coughing, the Zemlja then apologized between breaths, "Sorry, it's COUGH been a while since--ACHOO! I had to do that."

"What about your siblings still back at the house? We have to go back. Where's father?" Grievous took deep breaths after having to hold it in a pinch.

"Mom has a COUGH emergency defense system of sorts." Urboro brushed some dirt off Grievous' clothes. "Oh wait, that's right, she didn't tell you about Venu'sa."

"A what?"

Back at the house, Kahli was waking up from the behest of one of his other children. "What is it?"

"Daddy, I think someone bad is outside." Zaltana was peering through the window, hugging her stuffed dragon. "Venu'sa isn't sleeping anymore."

"Let's get away from the window, shall we?" Chatima led his baby sister away from view.

"Dad, what's going on?" Huyana asked her father, exiting her bedroom. "Sakari and Satinka say that there's more Hasai outside."

Hasai? At his house? With his children here?! Kahli's eye grew with fury. He knew this was an inevitability with Grievous showing up and staying. No way in heaven or hell Zannah would allow the possibility of this secret to spread. He should have left sooner to see her, but with Zizi still gone, Kahli had a duty to look after his children. "Stay here kids."

Kahli tightened his fists as he went to his door. Sure enough, he saw vines slivering, but no attack made by the guardian as of yet. Theron trained their weapons on him from different areas, positioned around fence posts or trees, and Kahli paused, taking a deep breath to channel his energies for battle if necessary. "Get off my property."

Agent Hresvelg had a bow an arrow ready in his grip, shouting from behind the barn for cover, "Give us the girl Sir Kahli. We don't want any trouble."

"You coming here with weapons pointed at my house, at my children invites conflict. I don't care if you're special forces. I will burn you to cinders if you don't back away."

The Hasai looked to their field commander, unsure what to do. "Orders sir?"

"Do not engage. Sir Kahli! I think it would be best for everyone if we stayed calm and orderly. The Emperor values the girl’s life. This isn't an assassination."

"Then why did she send you now? The Theron are Zannah’s death squad."

Hresvelg paused at this statement. There was truth in that, but missions were a mission. "I have no reason to lie to you. My orders are my orders."

Before Kahli could start his eruption of fire to give them a warning, he felt his spine shudder from a collision of pain against him. The metallic punch of T0-D brought him to his knees. "Declaration: Agent. The target is not here. Search the plantations. She must have not gone far."

The Theron nodded, running off into pairs, only a few staying behind to give their commander support if need be.

Kahli grunted, turning his head to look up at the Android. "What the hell."

"Apology: I didn't want to have to hurt you, but it looked like an altercation was about to occur, and I'd like it if you didn't kill any of the pristine meatbags. Also, that was for failing to mention you had broken your arrangement with the Emperor. What were you thinking keeping the girl here? I know she's been staying here for a while."

The man couldn't kick the robot from under his feet, so he rolled away, immediately running between it and his house. "T0-D. Tell your men to stand down. I'm going to see Zannah regardless. But if you take the girl, we'll have problems."

"Curiosity: Oh? Like what?"

The Waku put a finger against his head, pushing his hair tightly. "Or I blow myself up."

~

Zizi had spent the last two weeks in the Forest Temple, meditating and listening to the earth. It calmed her. Between Skull Kid's pleasant company and reconstructing parts of the temple, she felt a bit like her old self. Actually, she felt younger, like she was relieved of burdens in some ways. If Skull Kid could work miracles, making her feel like a kid again was definitely one of his talents. It made her forget her worries and heartaches just for a little while. Though, she knew she had to face them at some point. So, the Zemlja sat in the middle of the temple and harnessed her magic, green energy floating throughout the structure, into the ground, and around her in the air. There, she conversed with Zemlja himself.

"You still don't think you can forgive him?"

"Why should I? He lied to me. Kept this from me."

"He couldn't reveal it. Hasai physiology is very different than Lorleidian."

"I know that! It's just... I've never felt this angry before. Not even at Vul'kar."

"You have a right to be angry." Zemlja offered wise advice. "But if you continue to let it eat at you, you will find nothing but misery. And here, you have been drowning in it."

"... I know."

"It's hard to let go of hurts sometimes, isn't it?"

"Very hard."

"Then perhaps you better focus on what you do have, before you lose it."

"I already feel like I've lost him."

"But have you?"

"... I don't know. Why would he even love me after I lashed out at him? Doubt him? ... I can't forget what he did."

"No, you won't, you never will. Though, you cannot blame all the blame on him."

"You're right... the blame is Zannah's."

"Correct, it is hers. Do you still wish to cause her this type of pain as well?"

"Yes. She hurt me. Hurt my family. I thought her a friend."

"Then you must be careful... and not be foolish. Patience is your friend."

"Lorleidians don't condone violence."

"And violence isn't needed."

"No. No it's not.”

"Be careful, Zizi, and leave your thoughts of Zannah behind for now. Your family needs you."

"... we'll talk again soon?"

"I'll be here if you need me."

And with that, Zizi was pulled out of her trance by the tugging of Venu'sa's activation.

"Skully!!!" Zizi hurried out of the temple to the earth. "I'll be back! Gotta go! I'll bring you some cookies next time!" Jumping into the open earth, the Zemlja moved through the ground as fast as the wind through the leaves. Kahli's distress... she could sense it. Something was wrong, something was very wrong, and she was not going to let anymore damage come to her family... and she arrived outside her home, right in front of Kahli. Was he going to kill himself? The woman tackled him with all her force, and pinned his arms to the side, sitting on him. "... Kahli..." She looked at him with a glare. "If you ever dare to do that again, I'll divorce you for sure."

Kahli fell to the ground, shocked by his wife suddenly appearing from nowhere to hit him to the ground. He stared at her for a moment, before slowly turning his attention at the more concerning issue. "Zizi... we have a more pressing matter."

T0-D's eye flashed between blue and red, his mind thinking over Kahli's threat. "Illogical: Your threat has no merit. If you kill yourself, not only will you fight against the life debt you owe, but you will be leaving behind your children. Not to mention, Hasai do not commit direct suicide. In all my years I've never seen such a thing possible. I don't believe that you could do it. Give us the girl or I can't promise people might get hurt in the process."

Zizi got to her feet, looking at the Hasai troops and T0-D. She had a giant frown on her face. This was, indeed, a more pressing matter, though she had to keep her in mind Zemlja's words. There would no room for being foolish. Zannah would know that she knew now. Nothing could change that.

"... I know about the girl, Tod." Zizi informed the robot. "And I know about the debt." She struggled to say the next words. "We may not have started off on the right foot, but... I thought we became friends after a while. Tell me," She took a sharp inhale. "That day you offered to help me bake cookies... were you just manipulating me like any other 'meatbag' so Zannah could stab me in the back?"

"Reflection: The Emperor instructed me to watch over you, yes. But it was I who wanted to take the time to get closer with you. Her order was very open ended Zizi. The Emperor and I knew that you'd never have agreed to the process. That you couldn't share Khali. Baking with you was a wonderful beginning to what I believe was your start for a friendship. However, I never expected to have doubts. I knew if you ever discovered the truth, you would not be able to accept it. And I dreaded to think on how you would view our relationship after due to me being told to keep you in the dark. Can you imagine? Me? Having dread? Illogical at surface level, and yet, a reality I must face. Here we are now. I'm sure that the girl told you everything now. Is it so bad though? They aren't treated badly. Every Hasai goes through military training. The new generation of Waku are merely being given extra training. They are still relatively young. They will be able to make other careers for themselves in the Empire if they so choose. Zannah did it for the greater good of the tribes and the Empire. Although, I can predict this hardly matters to you. Manipulation and being stabbed in the back were your choice of words was it not? I'm sure you feel this was merely a betrayal. I wonder how you look at me now. I wonder how you look at Kahli. Hurt no doubt. But can't you see logic was put forward? I'd gladly cook cookies with you again, yet I fear a 1 in 14,000 chance of that ever occurring again. Ah, I've spoken far too long. Kahli. You won't kill yourself, and I have my orders to bring the girl. Can you give me a logical explanation to not take her?"

"... so that's it. That's all it ever was. Boiling down to orders and commands and keeping secrets." Zizi was quiet for a moment before saying. "Friends don't treat friends like this, Tod. Orders or not. I don't know really what you feel or if you can even feel guilty. Dread? Sure, you felt that before when you had to fight a formidable foe. I remember, I was there when you fought Malik." She swallowed thickly, "Do you think I would have ever done this to Zannah? Or even to you, be it possible? ... then again, if Zannah never considered me a friend in the first place, just another pawn to be moved on her game board, I suppose my logic doesn't apply." The Zemlja was trying to keep tears from running down her face. "Everything was perfect. I was happy, my family was happy... and then this happened. And I... I can't begin to tell you how much I wanted to just... just scream. I wanted Kahli to hurt like I hurt. I lashed out at him, and I shouldn't have. I should have just kept my emotions in check, but I can't do that, Tod. I'm not... I'm not like Zannah. I'm not like you. I can't sacrifice one person for the whole. I want everyone to be okay and to be safe, and feel loved." Zizi then stated firmly. "And Grievous doesn't deserve at all to be treated like a tool. She's her own person. She deserves her own life. If she doesn't want to fight, if she doesn't want to go back, if she doesn't want to leave here, then she shouldn't have to. She's with family now, Tod. It doesn't matter that I'm not her mother, she's still mine in a way. I will protect her, she's innocent in all this. All she wanted was some answers. Does she deserved to be punished for that? She's a child." She asked the robot, trying to appeal to his sense of loyalty and regret. "Would you want me to drag you away from your family?"

Kahli stared at his wife, unable to find the words. All he had fill him was shame.

T0-D paused, raising a hand to his 'chin' to think. "Answer: The girl has a biological mother she lives with. She has hundreds of half siblings she knows at the academy. In more years, her training will be complete. What makes you so much more special? We all have a part to play Zizi. It is selfish to put yourself above the greater whole. Countries and Empires wouldn't be able to function if everyone was so selfish. You aren't her family. We'd be returning her to her real home. So, it is indeed different then if you were to try and take me away from my own family." His claw pointed towards Kahli. "Query: He is the father, but you are not the mother. This girl is not your responsibility. And my dread is a form of guilt I suppose. To have a friend has been eventful, joyful to certain receptors. It's nice to access my memory of these more joyful times. Now, I still see no reason to not follow my orders. Zannah holds her trust in subjects and in family. To her, friends cannot be a part of her life. Family she can pour her love into and know it is a bond only death can separate. Subjects, she has a loyalty to nurture her people and them in return give undying loyalty and respect. I do regret your pain Zizi Slatki. Zannah does to. But she did what she did for the greater good. I believe in her goals to bring prosperity to every subject of hers. As her family, and as her oldest subject, I have a duty to fulfil."

Kahli squeezed his wife’s hand. "Don't take the girl. I believe Zannah would find me to be a higher priority."

"Doubt: Why is that?"

"The life debt has lost its secrecy. It's chains around me are so much lighter. I believe that she'd want to speak to me to try and correct that, would she not?"

T0-D was still, calculating multiple possibilities to carry out next.

"I'm human, Tod. Humans are selfish, and my love is selfish, but in a good way. I don't care the Grivy isn't mine, she still showed up on my doorstep asking for help. That makes her my responsibility, even if Kahli doesn't want to acknowledge her." Zizi told the robot, literally shaking from grief and sorrow. "A good leader wouldn't try to hurt one of her subjects in this way. A good leader would consider what others want. A good leader would forget her stupid quest for power and conquest, and focus on her family and try to make friends with those who cared about her. Zannah is no leader... she is simply a manipulator." She asked him. "If Zannah doesn't want my friendship in her life, then she doesn't regret a single thing she's done. By the spirits, I was right about her this entire time, but I didn't want to see it. I wanted to believe Kahli about her, I wanted to believe you about her, but it's all dragon-shit. All Zannah cares about is power. That's the way it has always been." The Zemlja couldn't stop the tears now. "I doubt Zannah even cares about you, Tod. When has she ever asked what you want? I tried to amend my behavior towards you, I tried to treat you well, and you..." She choked on her words with a sob. "You tricked me. Zannah used Kahli. She threatened to take away my babies to get what she wanted. I tried so hard... so damn hard to believe in the better good of others, but it has done nothing but brought me pain and misery. Are you really going to make me lose faith in you too?"

"Reflection: I'm sure my soul is impure in your eyes. What I want is the betterment of the Empire I call home. The largest sacrifices require the strongest wills. And Zannah has steeled her will to take on any challenge. A good leader will sacrifice additional comforts to give her subjects all the essentials of living. A good leader uses her power for the betterment of those people. Zannah broke her friendships for the sake of bettering her people. She cared so deeply for her people that she made the heartbreaking choice to sacrifice her friendship with you. I calculate, given her condition, she might step down from her current position and elevate herself for the betterment of her people. I did trick you. I won't lie to you Zizi Slatki. Because I believed in her cause. Even if I didn't like the thought of seeing you hurt."

Kahli hugged his wife tightly, resting his head over her shoulder. With a kiss, he whispered into her ear. "Let me go. You can watch over Grievous while I find a way out of this debt."

So that was it... Tod admitted it. Both of them, Zannah and her robot, intentionally hurt her.

... what did she do to deserve this? What did her husband do? Her family?

"I don't want you to go." Zizi sobbed, holding onto Kahli tightly. "I want you to stay here. I want things to go back to how they were."

"I can try to make things right. You have to give me that chance. Please, I beg of you Zizi."

"Statement: I am honestly sorry to see I hurt you Zizi. Kahli, do you consent to seeing the Emperor?"

The Waku looked over his shoulder, hurt and angry. "Only if you call off your hunt for my daughter."

"Don't go, I don't want her to hurt you. I've already hurt you and I shouldn't have, and I don't want to lose you, I don't care if all your other kids show up on our doorsteps, please don't leave me. If Zannah takes you away, I'll be lost." Zizi begged her husband. "No, you're not." Zizi took a shaky breath. "You just told me, Tod. You believed in Zannah. You didn't believe in me."

"Additional Statement: Those two things aren't mutually exclusive in my eye. I see now, however, it would be illogical to try and change your mind. Goodbye Zizi Slatki."

Kahli gave his wife a peck on the cheek, rising away from her. "I won't let her. You have my love on that."

"You promise?" Zizi looked so... so defeated. So heartbroken. So sad. "I can't... trust her anymore."

"I promise to you. I promise on my unending love for you. She won't take me away from you."

Meanwhile, at the greenhouse, Theron guards finally found their target. On the left and right flank, two cornered Grievous and Urboro. They had crossbows ready to fire with the graze of a finger. "Don't. Move."

Agent Hresvelg entered centre stage, taking off his helmet. Grievous expressed surprise at seeing him. "Teacher?"

The man's purple eyes looked sad and tired to see her. "Why did it have to be you Grievous. You had such promise."

"I wanted freedom my mother wouldn't give me. That the Empire couldn't give me."

"That why you decided to come specifically to Hyrule? To your birth father?"

"I wanted to see him too. Teacher. I'm not going back."

"Grievous. You're one of my most outstanding students. You've shown so much potential, and you want to throw it all away? You could be a great commander if you put your mind to it."

"But that's not the life I want." She planted her feet, grinding her fingers into her palm as she made a fist. "I want to fight my own battles. I want to fly where ever I want. I want a parent who loves me. I want siblings I can actually who aren't so laser focused in following the Empire. I- I want to learn what sex is like after going to bars with my sister. " She unexpectedly gripped Urboro's hand, wanting to feel her support.

Hresvelg frowned, perhaps a little disgusted by her behaviour. "Because of your desertion, the Empire wants you out of sight and out of mind. You might have been able to have been able to have the future you wanted in ten more years with hard work. You were always a serious student. You took your training seriously. You didn’t have time for foolish behaviour. It's why you were given the name Grievous."

"But that's because you all raised me that way. It’s all I knew. That life might be acceptable to the others, but not to me."

The agent drew a flint lock, cocking the gun in the direction of Grievous’ heart. "I have to ask you to come with us. At this range, you can't do your little disappearing act. And I truthfully don't want to hurt you or the girl. I will give you the count to three. 1."

Grievous didn't move, her body spreading out to protect Urboro from fire.

"2."

Just before he got to three, another Theron appeared behind him. "Sir. The mission is being called off by General T0-D."

"What?"

"We are to leave with Sir Kahli back to the Empire to deliver him directly to the Emperor."

"I see..." Hresvelg put his pistol away back into his holster. "Well Grievous. I don't know when I will see you again, but I hope you are serious about your current life choices."

"I am."

Seemingly satisfied, Agent Hresvelg turned to leave. The Theron at the sides disappeared as silently and as quickly as phantoms.

"Wait, they're taking Dad?!" Urboro looked a bit afraid. Her mother always warned her that Zannah could have a horrible temper. If they were taking her father away, what would happen? "Grivy, what's going on?!"

“I don’t know. I really don’t know.��� Both the girls picked themselves up and ran to the house. When they arrived, however, all the Hasai were gone. All that remained was a distraught Zizi lying on her knees, with other children gathering with confusion.

Manaco had rushed from work to his parents' house when he heard the rumors of Hasai being present in Hyrule. When he saw his mother on the ground, and no indication of his father's presence, he feared the worst. Either Zannah was going to kill his sire or keep him prisoner... or worse.

"What should we do, Manaco?" Keira asked her elder brother. "They took Dad. That robot was here too. It must be serious if Tod was here."

"I... I don't know what to do." Manaco told his sister honestly. "I think that the only thing we can do is wait."

“Wait? What about the well being of our father? Aren’t you fighters?” Grievous questioned, guilt heavy on her mind. It was becoming clearer to her that he took her place. But why?

"Grivy, there's five of us that are of age. We are all good fighters, and we can defend ourselves, but taking on an army is not within our capabilities." Ahusaka informed his sister with a heavy sigh. "Even we know when to admit we're no match for a battle."

"Unfortunately, he's right." Manaco admitted. "We... we need to take care of Mom for now, and just wait. That's all we can do without endangering the rest of our family."

Grievous’ tail curled low, her feelings on the matter heavy. Turning to Zizi, she barely got the words out with a steady tone. “I’m sorry I came here. I’m sorry they took him away. I’m sorry I broke you two up. Kahli is a good man. He loves his children. He loves you. I shouldn’t have come here if I had known you’d be hurt so deeply.”

"It's not your fault, Grivy." Zizi felt so... hollow. Empty. "You're not responsible for this... Zannah is."

"I'm going to take Mom inside," Manaco told his siblings. "Will all of you try to calm Venu'sa down? She doesn't need to be grabbing a stranger and eating them."

"We can do that." Urboro assured her brother. "Take care of Mom."

"Grivy, we could use your help watching after the younger ones." Miku asked. "Do you mind?"

“Of course. It’s the least I can do. Miss Zizi? You’ll give Father another chance will you not?”

"I will, I just... it's hard to process all of this." Zizi said very softly. "I'm so exhausted..."

"That's okay, Mom. You can rest. We'll take care of everything." Manaco lifted his Mom into his arms, carrying her. He had never seen her so tired before, not even in the hot sun working with plants. He was worried, and it showed. "We'll keep Urboro away from the stove too."

"I heard that, you fu---fudge-head." Urboro had to catch her language in front of her smaller siblings.

Grievous turned to find the little ones. She hoped she knew what her father was doing. In so many ways, today had taken so many losses.

________________________________________________________________

Previous Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/612492318747082752/burnt-heart-ch-5-reflection

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/612606875698085888/burnt-heart-ch-7-burning-bridges-repairing

Crossover with @ridersoftheapocalypse. Shared Extended World with @s-kinnaly

#Crossover #ridersoftheapocalypse #Zizi #Kahli #T0-D #hasai #Grievous Dal #family drama #heartache

[mrneighbourlove]

Burnt Heart: Ch 5. Reflection

A new morning arrived to the Slatki residence, and several of the older children were waiting in their father's bedroom to keep him from leaving. They discovered his presence with missing leftovers from the fridge, and a peak into the bed.

Sleep wasn’t kind to the man, but it wasn’t awful either. Although rested, Kahli had also had so much on his mind. Dreams of an absolution for one. It didn’t take long after he stirred awake to feel their presence outside. With deep breaths, the man rose to go through his selection of robes. Satisfied on a rich dark blue, he dressed appropriately before knocking on the door. “Would you all like to talk in here or in the living room?”

"Depends." Keira said, "Are you going to try to leave or listen to what we have to say?"

"Your fight with Mom wasn't necessarily... quiet." Manaco informed his father.

“It was better than the first. And no, I did not plan on leaving immediately. Once again. Upstairs or downstairs?”

"... let's go downstairs. More room. It's a little stuffy in here."

Kahli opened the door, surprised all his children were cramped together. “You look like a cradle of puppies. Move along. I’ll cook you all breakfast.”

"We already ate, we got a plate ready for you." Ahusaka set a dish full of eggs, bacon, and diced fruit in front of his father. "It's not... Mom's cooking, but it's edible. I cooked it, not Urboro."

"Hey, you ass, at least I didn't set my own butt on fire." Urboro scowled.

“Don’t swear.” Kahli shot his elder daughter a look. It appeared he slept in a little more than expected. Or maybe they all woke up early. Either way, he made his way down to the living room. Sitting on his recliner chair, Kahli took his plate of assorted foods, beginning to dine as the kids settled around the living room.

Grievous herself decided it might be best if she waited in the bathroom for all her half siblings to have a moment to speak.

"Listen, we know you want to storm off to the Empire, but we don't think that's the best idea." Miku explained, "We understand your point of view, but we understand Mom's too."

"It's like you jerked the rug out from underneath her, but not only her, us too." Manaco told his father. "We just found out we have a half-sister, like... two days ago."

"We are trying to be fair here, but... we got to be a little selfish too." Urboro huffed. "We don't want you running off and there's a chance of you not coming back."

“Would that be so bad, all things considered Urboro?” Kahli chewed on the bacon, taking his time with it. He didn’t know if it would be his last. “There’s a chance to regain some honour in a warrior’s death. It’s like the tales of all those knights I used to read to you.”

"Of course it'd be fucking bad!" Urboro protested with a snap. "Look, regardless of whether or not Mom is mad at you, we still need you! For fuck's sake, Zaltana is only seven years old!!!"

“And you’d do your best to mind your bloody tongue around her.” Kahli’s golden eyes flared with the furious shine of a dragon at his daughter. “How many times do I have to tell you to cool that tongue of yours Urboro? Apologize to your younger siblings.” The tone and power Kahli were evident this conversation wouldn’t continue until Urboro did as her father told.

"Apologize?! I haven't done anything wrong, you're the one who has an army of other kids out there!" Urboro scowled.

"Ur!" Manaco got between his sister and his father. "How about you go outside to cool off for a moment?"

"Ugh, fine. But you know I'm right." With that, she tromped outside.

“What is wrong with her behaviour...” Kahli muttered under his breath. Finishing his bacon and eggs, he moved onto eating his fruit. “I have to confront Zannah. Now that the secret has been discovered, it can give me a loophole to confront her about it.”

"Loophole? ... you're not thinking of dragging Grievous back there, are you?"

“No. The loophole was I was forced into secrecy. Now that it’s no longer secret, I can demand to be given freedom.”

"And? What will that solve? She can still hold you to your life debt." Miku pointed out. "That's two different things."

“I can ask to be rid of our debt. Either through combat... or begging.” The latter thought disgusted Kahli.

"And if you died, where would that leave us?"

“Alive. With no need to mourn me.” Kahli finished his breakfast, setting his plate down to the side. “Your mother made her point clear. Without her in my life, what passion do I have to go on? You kids are rather self efficient, and most of all, you’ll grow up. That’ll leave me alone. Can you tell me, right now, you’ll visit me as I grow into old age and am left alone?”

"Of course we will be there for you, you're our father." Manaco looked at Kahli like his sire had lost his mind. "We would never abandon you, regardless of whether or not we agree with what has happened or will come to happen."

"Besides, all you have to do, is give Mom a little time." Ahusaka assured his father. "That's all she needs. You know best of all that it takes time to rebuild trust that has been broken."

"It's not like you to give up so easily." Keira crossed her arms. "Are you really going to give up on Mom without a bit of a fight?"

"You have to see this from her point of view too," Miku tried to be a peacemaker.

"You kept something from her, even though you couldn't say a word, it's still hurtful. She's never kept anything from you. How would you feel if she did something of the sort like this to you?"

“She tried to kill me. I’d be angry, but I’d never have laid a hand on her, let alone blast her with magic. It was absolutely insane. What’s more, I’d have considered her situation as a whole instead of letting my emotions get the better of me.” Kahli shook his head, trying to diffuse his rising tension. “Zaltana, can you bring your sister back inside?”

"You can't expect Mom to turn off her emotions, Dad. Not like you do half the time." Ahusaka sighed. "Mom isn't that way, she feels more so deeply than others."

"She's the Earth Sage, her emotions and magic go hand in hand together now." Keira said.

"We don't think it was right of her to lash out at you, but we don't agree with what you did either." Miku stated.

Zaltana was quiet, but gave a soft nod as she went to fetch her sister.

“You don’t have to agree with me. You don’t even have to forgive me. I just ask you understand I had no choice in the matter.”

"We understand that, though... can you understand Mom as well?" Manaco quietly replied.

Once Zaltana brought Urboro back inside the house, the elder sibling stood there with her hands on her hips.

“I’ve had years to come to terms on her fair reaction should she ever discover the truth.” Kahli glared towards the direction of the bathroom where Grievous hid. “A truth that could have been remained hidden for the betterment of all. Why is she hiding?”

"You don't get to judge what she thinks is fair, Dad. You know better than that." Manaco ran a hand down his face. "And she's hiding in the bathroom because she doesn't want to be in the middle of this conversation, doesn't want to be the punching bag."

���Physically or emotionally?” Kahli didn’t stop his gaze towards the bathroom. “As for your mother, I think I do. You know what she said to me? That she’d find revenge against the Emperor. She can be as furious as me as she wants, even foolishly take her fury out on me, but she must not ever be so idiotic as to attack the Empire.”

"You tried to attack her out of revenge once, Dad." Ahusaka poked a hole in Kahli's logic. "You got no room to call Mom an idiot."

“I attacked when it wouldn’t bring war down upon all of Hyrule.” Kahli countered back with remorse in his voice. “And look at what that attempt on her life brought me. A debt that keeps me in her pocket.”

"Mom was probably just speaking in the heat of the moment, Dad. We all know that she wouldn't do something so reckless to ruin the relationship that Aunt Zarazu tried so hard to build." Urboro stated bluntly. "Give her a bit more credit than that. Besides, that bi---Zannah, would know it was Mom. She's not stupid to openly attack her."

"Ur has a point, Dad."

“She better not. That would only ruin all of your futures.”

"Good grief, will you at least try to get some sense of normalcy back with Mom?" Urboro asked with a roll of her eyes. "Or not? That's what we're asking. We don't want you two apart. We want all of us to be a big happy family again."

“I want that too. Everything I’ve done has been for the betterment of this family. It’s Zizi who needs to understand my position.” Kahli sounded so exhausted. “But no. She rather never be near me. There’s no excuse when it’s the truth. I know I caused her pain, but gods as my witness, I’d never go out of my way to purposely put her through it.”

"And did you tell her that?" Miku asked her father. "Mom thinks you'd choose Zannah over us."

“I did. She’s simply too angry to listen.”

"Then give her time. At least a week to cool down, and then try again."

"You're not the type to give up."

"We know Mom still loves you, otherwise, she wouldn't be so hurt." All his children believed in their parents. No, they held hope for them.

“A week?” Kahli closed his eyes, crossing his arms and pondering on the fact. Once more, he glanced at the bathroom. “Bring that ridiculous girl out.”

"... Grivy, would you mind coming out of the bathroom?" Manaco gently knocked his knuckles on the door. "... besides, Zaltana needs to pee."

“...that is acceptable.” Grievous exited, still covered in tribal paint.

"... can you help us fix this?" Manaco asked her honestly. "We could use any ideas you have."

“Me?” Grievous was genuinely caught off guard.

“Yes you.” Kahli rose from his chair, his gaze menacing on her. “Seeing you were the one to kick off this chain of events in the past few days. Why did you even leave? It’s clear you like fighting. The Empire can provide that in spades for you.”

Grievous suddenly looked downcast, embarrassed perhaps. “Well, I-”

“Spit it out girl.”

“I didn’t like the idea of being a commander. It’s too constricting for me. I’m sorry I came and ruined your perfect family dynamic because I felt I didn’t belong with my own family. That answer satisfy you?”

"... should we be a part of this?" Miku whispered to Urboro.

"What? It's drama, of course, we're going to be a part of this." Urboro snickered.

"Look, we need you to help us patch this relationship. We've always been close as a family and we don't want to lose that." Manaco gestured to his siblings.

"You're part of this family too now, whether you like it or not." Keira noted to Grievous. "So, you need to make a decision now if you're going to stay and help, or leave like you intended."

“How can I help?”

Kahli narrowed his eyes, disapproving of her. Was she only here to have questions fulfilled? “You wanted answers? Here’s a list. I’m your father. I did everything Zannah asked including reviving my tribe from extinction to pay off my life debt to her and keep my family safe and healthy. This family is my kin. You cannot hope to ever beat me or my eldest son in combat, let alone me. And by the look of your face, I’d say you have no proper will to stay. What’s your answer?”

“I-” Grievous paused, anxiety filling her. She hardly ever felt anxious, but with all these eyes waiting on her, how could she not?

"We need a decision, Grivy. You stay or you go." Manaco asked her directly, "Which is it going to be? Either you stay here, and have some support, from us, or you go out there. Alone. Into the world that you don't know."

"Stay. I'll stay." Grievous swallowed her discomfort. "I should excuse myself for now. I don't know how effective I can be in helping you. Give me time to think please."

"All right. You can bunk with me for the time being." Keira offered Grievous. "We all need some time to think."

~

Zizi hardly ever ran from her problems. She liked to solve conflicts as soon as possible to continue on without strife. Now, she did not want to go back home. All she wanted was the comfort of someone familiar, who would not pick a side, and simply let her be for a while. Thus, her mind wondered to her old friend from so long ago. She was older now, at the grand age of 51 years. No longer was she some spring chicken, or anywhere close to a child. Yet, Skull Kid still tolerated her presence.

Deep within the Lost Woods, Zizi's ears picked up on a jolly and magical tune. As she pushed away foliage, the little imp was dancing on a tree branch, playing his flute with little care in the world. The tune was positive, and had a magical, jolly nature to it. When he finally noticed Zizi listening along, he continued to play, jiving back and forth until his tune was done. "Zizi! What are you doing so deep in the woods? I don't think a Sage of the Forest could find herself lost, but I have seen stranger things."

"What else would I be doing out here, silly?" Zizi kept a smile on her face as Skull Kid turned to look at her. "I came to see you. I needed a friendly face." She then asked him. "Entertaining the fairies again? I'm surprised they let me pass through. Maybe being an Earth Sage has perks now?"

"First off, I like playing for myself. Second off, its a song I learned from a friend who was also a Forest Sage like you. Titles matter. What's so cool about calling yourself the Sage of Dirt? Forests are magical." Skull Kid pointed his flute aggressively at Zizi like a teacher would do with a pointing stick. Hopping of the tree with a few frontal flips, Skull Kid scuttled his way towards his friend. "Odd that the friendliest face you know is a mask, but I guess I shouldn't complain. He he he."

"Mask or no mask, you're still Skully." Zizi rolled her eyes when he clarified the 'correct' title. She was a Zemlja, a Lorleidian of the earth. Forest would be placing a limit on her capabilities, in her opinion. Watching him bounce around, Zizi then asked, "I haven't seen you in a while. Zaltana is going to be celebrating her eighth birthday in two weeks. You going to come to the party?"

"Hmmm, will your fierier children and sister be attending?" Skull Kid causally threw his arms behind his head to rest back on them.

"I have fifteen, eight of who are fiery and seven of who are earthy, and they'll all be attending, so yes." Zizi chuckled. "Even Manaco. He misses you too, you know. He still talks about that permanent ink prank you pulled on Vaati."

"Well, kid wanted to be a little rebellous. Although, he's not quite a kid anymore. But two weeks? I'll think about it. Maybe I can make the event more fun~" His arms switched to being swung from side to side. "You look tired. Were you up all night? Or sleep under a tree?"

"If you put a stink bomb in the bonfire like last time with the triplet's birthday party, we're going to have words." Zizi shook a finger at him. "Fun would be a paint fight, like you did with Chatima's ninth birthday. We were all shades of the rainbow for days." Sighing, Zizi shook her head. "I am tired. Haven't been sleeping too well. Found out some... unsavory news about my husband. Though, I'm here to see you, not to mope."

"Oh? You think I'm a distraction then? Well... how long of a distraction do you need?"

"You're a very good distraction, and an even better friend. No one can help me bake chocolate chip cookies like you." Zizi reminded him. "As long as you're willing to put up with me."

"Put up with you? Easy." Skull Kid thought for a moment on what they could do. Snapping his finger, he had an idea. "Hey! Why don't we go to the Forest Temple? Could use some maintenance."

"Forest Temple? That sounds like a good idea." Zizi then repeated. "Maintenance?"

"Make sure the trees are healthy. The doors all still working. The wolves happy. Clear the Skulltala webs. Etc. Etc. It could take a while though."

"Sounds just like the distraction I need," Zizi then asked him with a small grin, jesting. "How did you get to be a mind reader?"

"Stick around long enough and you can read people easily enough." With a giggle and hop, Skull Kid made his way to the temple. "Can you still run and keep up?"

"Hey now, I'm older, not old." Zizi reminded him. "Run? Why would I do that when I can just ride?" The vines shifted from the earth and carried the Zemlja. "Work smarter, not harder, Skully."

"Boo. That's not fun. And only shows you gotten softer~" Skull Kid did a few more flips, gleefully jumping from trunk to trunk lying on the forest floor.

"At least I'm not slow." Zizi teased as she shot forth on the vines, zipping past Skully. She hung upside down on the vine, and snatched his hat before the vines quickly moved her away. "Come and get it!"

Skull Kid laughed, chasing after his friend. It seemed this would be what Zizi needed for a time. At least until she was ready to confront her source of fears and wrath.

________________________________________________________________

Previous Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/612488276332478464/burnt-heart-ch-4-boiling-point

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/612496080371957760/burnt-heart-ch-6-trading-one-pain-for-another

Crossover with @ridersoftheapocalypse. Shared world with @s-kinnaly

#crossover #ridersoftheapocalypse #Zizi #kahli #hasai #Grievous Dal #family drama

[mrneighbourlove]

Burnt Heart: Ch 4. Boiling Point

Zizi nudged Grievous. She kept waiting for the girl to return and finally found her asleep in the barn with Slyvain and the other dragons. So, she covered her up with a blanket for the night and returned in the morning. She held a small tray of food, including her signature blueberry pancakes. "Grivy, wake up, it's time for breakfast."

“Ravatal Gel- oh.” Grievous froze, looking embarrassed at her alarmed swearing. “I did not realize it was you.”

"You have eggs, bacon, and blueberry pancakes." Zizi petted back Grivy's wild hair. "I figured you'd be hungry since you just poked at your food yesterday."

“You are all so touchy.” Grievous gripped her blanket close. “Good protein. Except these ‘pancakes’. Cakes are not good for health. If only berries were separate.”

"You'll eat it." Zizi poked her nose. "Carbs are good for you too. Gives you energy." She sat down beside of the girl. "Go ahead. Eat. I'm not leaving until you finish your plate. Then, you can come and meet the rest of my children."

"Ah, so you like the pancakes. I'll remember that and make more for you at some point." Zizi then raised an eyebrow. "Duel? My son?"

Grievous gave Zizi one of her trade mark serious stares, suddenly rushing to consume her food. It was like she never ate before. At the very least, Zizi could tell how excited she was by the movement of her tail. “Tastes good. Will give me energy for duel with Manaco today.”

"... you do realize this is not Dal culture, Grivy?" Zizi reminded the girl. "Manaco doesn't respond nicely to challenges. If you wish to 'fight' him, then a friendly spar is more than enough. Not a... pecking order."

“He said only an idiot would challenge him. Doesn’t seem too tough. And I despise people who name call someone’s intelligence. Only fitting I sweep him off his feet.”

"Well, he does have a point, my son is a very good fighter like his..." Zizi started to say 'father' but trailed off for a moment. "Instead of dueling him, how about just spar? See how he fights first?"

“No weapons? Fists and fire? Or just fists?”

"There's different kinds of sparring," Zizi told Grivy, counting them on her fingers. "Weapons, magic, hand-to-hand, and inter species combat. For example, if you want to learn the best way to fight against a Zora, you'd request a Zoran sparring partner."

“Your fish species yes?” Grievous seemed to know what a Zora was without skipping a beat, although never stepping in Hyrule until just yesterday. “Zizi. Why are you here? Why are you trying to daughter me?”

"Because I am a mother. And I am a Zemlja. We care for all." Zizi explained to Grivy. "And it seems like you don't have anyone to care for you right now. You're still a kid, and you need someone. So, I'll make sure you're okay."

“I’m a teenager, not a kid. And I suppose I don’t belong here with you. Don’t you know that?”

"You're a kid." Zizi ruffled her hair. "So? Lorleidians didn't belong here either. We belonged on Lorleidi, but our home was dying. Thanks to my sister's marriage to the king, we live here now. It doesn't matter where you think you belong, Grivy. It's about who you're with that cares for you."

“No. I don’t. I came here to conduct matters of business. I’ve clearly helped cutting a dagger within your family dynamic. Besides, I’d only bring you potential danger staying for long.” Grievous stood up, walking to bucket full of water to act as a mirror.

"Do you really think that we can't defend ourselves?" Zizi reminded her with a touch of teasing to her voice. "Recall who sucked you into the earth."

“Because perhaps I am a child... and I didn’t want to hurt you. Yet I have with my actions. So, I should leave before all your nonsense of family unity gets to me.” Carefully, the Waku applied her war paint to both sides of her face.

"It's not nonsense, sweetheart," Zizi gently halted the application of paint by holding Grivy's hand. "It's just... love. That's all."

Grievous sighed, clearly not getting anywhere. “What would be the point of your family meeting one of hundreds of half-siblings. Tell me that?”

"Fun. Food. Sparring. Laughing. Talking. Everyday life." Zizi shrugged. "But if they don't want to know us, that's okay too."

“Fine. Let me put on my paint and I’ll see you all outside. If your whole family isn’t waiting for me, then I’m going to take off.”

"What are you talking about? They're right there." Zizi gestured at the bottom of ladder leading up to the hayloft. All of the brothers and sisters were there, including Manaco, making sure to tell the younger ones to be on their best behavior. Keira, too, was bubbly as ever, and waved with a big grin. "They didn't want you feeling too lonely."

Grievous didn’t dare look down. Her tail was as stiff as a branch from the anticipation. “I see. Well, you can still wait. Painting is important to me.”

"I can paint!" Zalana, the youngest piped up from down below. "Lemme do it!"

"You can't even color inside the lines." Ahusaka shook his head. "And you want to do her war paint?"

"What's war paint?" Tana, Tala, and Tarsha asked in unison.

"It's makeup." Santika and Sakari harmonized.

"Ooo, let me paint your nails then!" Huyana volunteered.

"I'll do your hair!" Miku added. "And your fur!"

"Does she even like that shit?" Urboro groaned.

"Why don't you ask her first?" Keira told her younger sisters. "Never hurts to ask."

"You asked me if I thought your butt looked big in a skirt, and when I said yes, you punched me, that's a lie." Chatima told his sister.

"That's because you were being a jerk." Dasan poked his brother.

"You know better than that, she'll wipe the floor with you." Bodawa rolled his eyes.

Grievous took the noisy distraction as a form of mental training. She could focus hard on her makeup, as well as tune them out. Finally, she was done. With great detail she drew the white paint upon her face, with black lines giving her a scary image of an animal skull. She dunked her hair in the water to clean, followed by a dozen seconds to naturally warm her body to bring it to a frazzle poof. Not wanting to simply climb down the ladder, she stretched her limbs for minute. Once she felt her exorcises were done, she took a running jump off the barns second floor, flipping over the family. Landing on her feet, she turned to them, eyeing every last one. “I am Grievous.”

"Oof, I'm too old to go jumping around like that." Zizi climbed down the ladder. "Everyone, this is Grivy. I'll name mine from oldest to youngest. This is Manaco, Ahusaka, Keira, Urboro, Miku, Chatima, Huyana, Sakari and Satinka are twins, Dasan, and Tama, Tala, Tarsha are triplets, and then my youngest is Zalana. Everyone say hello and be nice."

“It’s Grievous. I’m serious about that.” The newest Waku didn’t know what to make of so many of her people being one big causal family. If anything, it was rather overwhelming. “Hello.”

"I'm sure it will take a bit to learn all of our names, so why don't you come with us today? We having dragon-back practice today." Keira suggested. "You can meet some of our dragons, see our home, and then later, we'll have a game of Magma Ball!"

“Which home?”

"Our home. This home." Ahusaka motioned to the giant house behind the barn. "What Mom took you in is her's and... uh... well, her private quarters." He was careful not to mention their father. "It's attached to our house, but that space is hers."

“I’m busy.” Grievous took a hand to her mouth, whistling for Sylvain to come to her.

"Doing what? Existing?" Urboro snerked. "Come on, drop the act and go hang out with us."

"We'll get ice cream!" Keira promised. "And you can try all the flavors."

"You think ice cream solves everything." Dasan remarked.

"Well... it doesn't hurt."

“I came her to get answers from our mutual father. That is all. I care not for your icy cream.” Her Wyvern bounded up to Grievous, purring its head for scratches. “I’m not here for a vacation. I- look. I’m grateful for a roof over my head for the night, but I did not come to know more brothers and sisters. I’m sure you have much on your mind about me. I cannot deny I’m curious about you too, but you are not my first priority.” With a small jump, Grievous got atop her saddle.

"So what? You're just going to bolt cause you're uncomfortable?"

"Urboro! That's not nice!"

"Hey, she's not being that friendly either."

"Pwease?" Zalana asked Grievous. "Just for a little while?"

“I’m leaving because you can’t give me answers about my heritage. You can’t absolve anger I feel. You are not my family. You have history I could never hope to share. I will return if I do wish to.” She spoke with unwavering condition, walking out into the open to ready take off.

"Young lady, you turn around right this instance!" Zizi spun the earth under Sylvain's feet to unsteady him for takeoff. "My children were nice enough to take time to come out here to get to know you. Not judge you, not blame you, nothing. You will give them a little of your time before you saunter off on some quest for answers. Kahli isn't going anywhere." She crossed her arms. "That means now."

"Mom, she doesn't have to---"

"Oh yes she will."

Sylvain acted wildly, roaring with fear as the ground spun him about. Grievous was patient with Zizi, but this snapped something in here. “You’re not my mother! And get your hands off my Wyvern! If you don’t stop scaring him, I’ll give your children something to be terrified of!”

"You know what? I'm trying my damnest to be nice to you." Zizi told Grivy with a loud scowl. "All you do is push me away, push all of us away. And you know what?" She threw up her hands. "I'm done trying. If you want to go tear into my lying, scheming, dog of a husband, then fucking go!!!"

As their mother tromped off, all of the siblings were wide eyed. None of them had ever heard their mother curse, much less display such... hatred of their father. For a moment, nothing was said. All of them looked at each other, confused and a touch afraid of their parents' crumbling relationship.

"She's right." Manaco shook his head. "Just go, Grievous. We're... we're tired of this."

“Good gods. I don’t know you people. Wow do you even care about me?” Grievous patted her Wyvern, taking off into the air. “Stop wallowing in your pity. Do something.”

"Let's just... how about we just go check on the dragons and spend the day together?" Keira suggested to her siblings. "It's been a long past couple of days."

"I couldn't agree more." Ahusaka nodded his head. "Let's go get ice cream too."

"You're not getting any of mine this time." Manaco snorted.

~

Kahli was currently at work in the plantation, going to clock in regardless that Zizi worked there as well. News hadn’t spread to his co-workers yet, but a few sensed he was off. The Waku simply dismissed it as a bad nights sleep. When he saw his tailed child walk through the glass doors, he sighed. “This is my place of work.”

“You owe me time old man.”

Kahli growled, and he saw Grievous take a fighting stance the moment he reached for a spade. Slowing his reach, he didn’t move away from his flower garden. “I need to move this solar plant. It can only bloom under direct sunlight. This isn’t a weapon.”

“I... I knew that.” Kahli didn’t need to confront her on her lie. Carefully caring for his plants, he ignored his daughter for a few minutes in deep silence. It was after her observation she broke it. “Why do you garden? Are you not a warrior? Or a general to Hyrule?”

“No. I am a simple man with simple needs. Gardening is my occupation. You learn to value and take care of the smallest of life.” With a place of his hand, the Waku man silently disintegrated a few weeds into ash. “And be able to remove the parasites found within.”

“But you are Hasai. Should you not want something more?”

“I had something more. I learned to be satisfied building my own garden, removing weeds to increase the value of my flowers.”

As for Zizi, she spent the rest of the day at her home. She tried to keep going about her day as usual. Normally, she'd be at work, but there were others there to run the plantations. Yet, she was not ready to face Kahli. She didn't want to talk to him, to see him, to even be breathing the same air as him. Zizi could not recall the last time she felt this angry. The bad thing was, she did not want to feel angry. She hated feeling this way. But... how could she ever forgive this secret? This betrayal? Her husband had nearly 700 more children out there. Zannah used her husband for the Empire's benefit---spirits, why couldn't Kahli just listen to her when she said Zannah was bad news?! After cleaning the house from top to bottom, she went to lay on the bed. She couldn't sleep. She just laid there... depressed.

Grievous shadowed Kahli for almost all day as her father worked. He didn’t say more then a sentence to her whenever she asked a question regarding his work. If others approached, she scared them off with a scowl. When he finally checked out, the man walked back to his house. Zizi’s house. He had food he needed to eat before it expired. The girl was surprised he would go back so soon. “What about what Manaco said?”

“I am not governed by the word of my son.”

Zizi sensed him. He was outside... with his other daughter. Proof of his betrayal. Curling her hand into a fist, a wall of thorns and poisonous plants covered the house from brick to brick. She wanted him to go away.

Kahli saw the vines rise up, and his patience waned. Zizi could ignore him, but he’d not have her deny him his entry to his home. Using his terrible power, with a touch, he turned her vines into bombs. With a light detonation, her plants turned into ash. He knew how much grief this caused, but she could ignore him in peace, or confront him in person. Grasping the front door, he glared at Grievous. “Stay outside.”

He wanted to play it that way, did he? Zizi then opened up the earth, the same that she had done with Grievous. It swallowed Kahli up to his hips and carried him backwards a good ways, then spat him out. Once more, the wall of prickly thorns and plants went up around the house, and barbs erupted all over the doors.

Kahli didn’t get nearly as far as anyone else did, burning through the earth to crawl out and plant his feet.  With a bolt of lightning, he fried the vines, burning them out of spite, but did not step closer to the house. It was a slower death for the plants, yet they to turned to dust. He was prepared for anything Zizi would throw, yet stood outside, leering their shared bedroom room, daring her to even just look him in the eye.

It seemed she was going to have to do this the hard way. Plants and earth were not the only thing she could manipulate now. Rocks started to shift out of the ground, blocking every entrance to the house. Then, just to add an extra sprinkle of spite, boulders emerged to circle around the home, acting as a barricade.

Kahli knew that he could blow up the rocks, but it would damage the integrity of his house with shrapnel. With no words, he walked back to Manaco’s.

‘Good. He was leaving’, Zizi thought. She was not ready to talk to him. At Manaco's house, he was painting the outside stucco which had scuff marks from fire.

Kahli considered his options as he returned to his son’s place of home. Honourable suicide one of them. He looked down at Manaco at his work. “I could have fixed that.”

"It's fine, it's just a little scuffed. You can pick up a brush though." Manaco had paint splattered on his clothes and skin. While he was great at training dragons, running a section of the plantation, and his fire magic, he was not exactly the... artistic one. "I'd like to get this done before nightfall."

“Of course.” Kahli felt it needed to be done sooner or later, passing his son a wrapped present in a box. “Happy Birthday.”

"... you know, I sort of forgot about my birthday with... everything going on." Manaco walked inside his house, gesturing for his dad to sit down while he opened his present. "I... talked with Mom. Just for a bit."

“What did she have to say?” The box is itself was a wonderful wood carving, with the contents inside being a card of love from both Kahli and Zizi. “The present itself is the box. For storage my son.”

"Always can use more storage. Definitely can put keepsakes in here. Thank you." Manaco then set the gift aside. "Mom is... hurt, for lack of better word. She feels like you chose Zannah over her, over your family. I know she understands the implication of the bond and a life debt, though... it's complicated, Dad." The young man rubbed the back of his neck. "I can see your point and I can see Mom's point. Didn't help the fact that Grivy told Mom that you got nearly 700 kids out there. Mom is in-between wanting to choke you and throttle Zannah. I've never seen her like this... this... this mad." He sighed. "I don't know what to do."

“You could castrate me...”

"Dad, please don't take the the wrong way, but... there's no way in hell I'm going anywhere near your balls." Manaco looked a bit disgusted. "And the thought of castration even makes me queasy. Look, I think the best thing to do is just... figure out a solution to this Zannah problem. Maybe if you can figure out a way to pay off the rest of the life debt with something other than," He cleared his throat. "Sperm, then that would be one problem out of the way. Talking to Mom might be... difficult. You need to give her a little more time to cool down."

“You want me to go to Zannah alone?”

"Not necessarily. Though, I don't think Mom should go." Manaco grimaced. "She might do something rash."

“Agreed. She’d be killed.”

"Mom? Or Zannah?" Manaco clasped his hands together. "Ever since Mom found out she was the earth sage... forest sage? Whatever the title, her power has gotten stronger. Maybe she really can drain plant life... or give it."

“Zannah is more than just fire. She has mastered the powers of a god.”

"You truly think a real deity wouldn't put Zannah in her place?"

“You trust your mothers legends too much. I won’t bring any of you with me to see her.”

"Mom has seen the deities before, you haven't. Aunt Zarazu has seen them. They all saw them at the defeat of Vul'kar." Manaco told his father. "I have faith in them because Mom does. I believe they're here to help us. After all, if they didn't want us to survive, they never would have blessed us with these abilities." He then said. "I'll look after Mom and my siblings while you go to talk to Zannah. Just... come back alive."

“No. What if she kills me for wishing to defy her?”

"Why would she do that when she obviously still has use for you?"

“What if she kills one of you to punish me for thinking against her...”

"It's not like we're going to go there anymore," Manaco remarked. "And if she tried to kill one of us, it'd mean war. We may not be royalty, but we are the queen's nieces and nephews. Aunt Zar would be pissed. Uncle Covarog would be pissed."

“... You’re right. I don’t want to leave without speaking to your mother first though.”

"... you want me to convince her to talk to you?"

“Yes.”

"... I'll try. I can't make any promises. Though I will say, it might be best to meet outside the house." Manaco suggested. "How about the tree house?"

“We can do that. First, I need you to deal with the girl following me around.”

"Grievous? You want me to do... what?" Manaco told his father. "I'm not going to kill her."

“Scare her. Beat her in a fight. She doesn’t belong here, to either side of the family. I hear that Zizi cursed her out. And she made workers at the plantation uncomfortable by glaring any that drew too close.”

"... very well. You know she'll lose, right?"

“I don’t really care about the outcome.”

"Hmph. You could show a little faith, I am a good fighter."

Kahli rewarded his son with a half-hearted grin. “I know my boy. I didn’t train a welp.”

Outside, Grievous was brushing the scales of Sylvain, getting a purr out of the Wyvern.

Manaco really did not like to fight unless he had to do so. Sparring was enjoyable, but fighitng for real? That was a pain. Stretching, the eldest son of Kahli and Zizi approached Grievous. "My father wishes for me to spar you. Do you still wish to do so?"

“You mean it?” It was the first time Manaco broke through her stoic personality. She seemed lightly excited, like being told the possibility of going to the park. “I would be honoured. Do you?”

"Let's make a little bet," Manaco offered. "I win, you do what I ask and respect my mother. You win, you get to saunter around and I get to sing your praises. Deal?" He offered his hand.

Grievous didn’t take it. Handshakes came for after a duel, not before. She didn’t know if Manaco would throw her to the ground. “I do respect your mother. She’s been kind to a stranger. That’s... not something anyone can do. I merely need answers she can’t give.”

"Still, you didn't have to push her away. She was only trying to help."

“I don’t... I don’t need distractions. You don’t need me giving you all a reminder of your new pain.”

"That's what you think? Did you even bother to ask of what we really thought?"

“Fine. You can tell me if you win.” Grievous walked to the open road, taking a stance.

Manaco waited until Grievous was in position. He cracked his knuckles. His hands were scarred from years of training. Despite being half Waku, sometimes, fire could get out of control if he was not careful.

Anticipate his movements. Those words ran through her mind. Grievous looked Manaco up and down. She wasn’t so foolish as to charge in blindly with aggression. His hands were scarred, possible weak knees. His shift forward gave her the idea he was. She made the bet that she would need to attack his upper body after a strike low. Trip him up, strike him in head.

The sun came down just the right angle, and the girl rushed forward to take him down in three moves.

Anticipate the moves, that's always what his father told him. A warrior's greatest strength was not speed or brute force, it was simply being able to know what the opponent was going to do before it was done. It was like time moved in slow motion. Manaco saw her aiming, watching the glance of her eyes. Trip. He jumped over her leg. Strike to the side of the head. He blocked that with his face. Sucker punch to the face to stun. He caught her fist with one hand and then with the other, Manaco grabbed her by the throat with brute force and slammed her into the ground, the back of her head slamming hard into the gravel. He held her there, and she would not be able to move.

"... yield." He breathed.

Grievous had complete surprise on her face. She patted the side of his arm to tap out. It took a long moment to catch her breath, and to focus her vision from her skull rattling. “I... I tried to anticipate your movements. You’re a-a-” Instead of speaking more, Grievous threw up her lunch to the side.

"Yeah, I know I'm fast---?!?!?" Manaco released her throat and jumped back when she threw up. "... are you sick or did I throw you too hard?"

“Hard. You-” Able to wobble to her hands and knees, Grievous threw up for a few more rounds. “Oh god. I haven’t been beat that hard, so quickly in a while. I’m sorry for my pathetic after performance.”

Manaco patted her back. Gently. "It's okay, it happens to everyone sometimes. You uh... need some water to rinse out your mouth?"

“Yes please.” Grievous gripped his hand gently. “You’re a magnificent brawler. I’m a strategist myself. Can you help me go home?” She paused, frazzled by her response. “I mean Zizi’s.”

"I cannot go back to the Kikai Empire---oh." Manaco realized what she meant. "Yeah, we can go there. I'm about to go there right now. Come on, there's a lemonade stand along the way, it will do better to get the yuck out of your mouth besides water."

“Is ice cream good for head aches? I want to apologize to Keira and family as a sign of peace.” Grievous sounded rather meek. She didn’t have the energy to be indifferent with her age.

"For headaches? Not sure about that. But ice cream is always good when you're feeling low." Manaco ordered Grievous a lemonade and handed it to her. "Sip slowly. Let it sit in your mouth. Then swallow."

Grievous slowly took her sip, almost purring at the taste. “It’s very good.”

Kahli from his window as they walked off together, disappointed by his actions in not scaring her. However, he didn’t know how else to approach the situation.

~

The walk back to Zizi’s house was a stumble, with Grievous still finding herself woozy. Manaco held buckets of different flavoured ice cream for the whole family to enjoy. Turns out they’d walk in on a family dinner.

"And then he laughed so hard that Lon-Lon milk squirted out his nose!"

"That's great, sweetie, but can we talk about a topic that doesn't involve boogers and milk?" Zizi was trying to get Zaltana to hold still so she could wipe her mouth.

"How did you do on your math test?"

"I passed!"

"I got all good marks on my dragon-back test."

"I'm still waiting on my letter from the vet academy."

"Uncle Corsaire said I could shadow him on his next trip to the Zoran Islands."

There was a load of conversation at the table until Manaco walked into the kitchen with their favored dessert.

"ICE CREAM!!!" All the kids cheered and started to get up until Zizi barked.

"NO! Dinner first. Dessert second."

"Awww, but Mom---"

"Don't 'but Mom' me, you're eating real food first."

“Ow. So loud.” Grievous hobbled over to the couch, her tail wiggling off the side. She didn’t want to intrude on the family dinner, but she felt the need to express need for some quiet.

"...? She's back?" Keira looked surprised. "I thought you left."

"She returned." Manaco shrugged his shoulders.

“Head hurts. Will stay for a while.” Grievous groaned, a massive migraine taking hold of her. All she could think about besides the pain was tactics on how to beat Manaco.

"...?" Everyone exchanged confused glances. "Okay? Uh... Mom?"

"Just let her rest for a bit. If she's hungry later, she can get a plate."

“I will try your cream made of ice Keira.” Grievous’ tail poked a blanket next to it, but she felt to frozen by her migraine to grab it.

"...? Really? Who are you and what have you done with Grivy?"

"Don't you mean 'Grumpy', Keira?"

"Shut it, Urboro."

Taking a small bowl of strawberry flavored ice cream to Grievous, she then tossed a blanket over the girl's body.

“You’re the hooligan who swears in front of her siblings. Certainly worse than being grumpy...” Grievous took a whiff of Urboro as she came close. Seemed she skipped out on a shower and preferred cologne for the moment. “...stinky.”

"Eat your ice cream and be nice." Keira shoved the spoon in Grievous' mouth.

“Your sister smells though.” Grievous took a bite of the ice cream, slowly rolling her tongue for the flavour. A whole new world opened up for her. “This is amazing! It’s so soft and fruity. I’ve never had anything like it!”

"Strawberry is my favorite." Keira then told her. "Only eat a bowl a day or else, your stomach will hate you for it."

"But it's made of strawberry. Strawberries are healthy."

"This has milk and sugar added to it. Milk? Okay. Lots of sugar? Stomach ache."

"Oh." Grievous chose to reflect on her impressions against the family. "I apologize for being so distant. You seem like a very close family."

The family didn’t seem to reply, at least, in Grievous’ mind. With her headache getting the best of her, and being comfy on the couch, she eased herself into a deep sleep.

~

Zizi loved her family, though every now and then, she'd visit the tree house for a moment to herself. There were a lot of memories in this place. Sometimes, if Skull Kid felt like it, he'd leave her a note to visit him there. He was always playing with one of her younger children or finding a way to be a nuisance in the palace. She wondered if it was possible to turn back time, to undo some of the past mistakes. Though, if she did undo some, where would she be today?

That night, Kahli waited for Zizi to leave the house and go to the treehouse as Manaco promised she would. It seemed that Grievous would be staying the night inside. Good. No distractions from what needed to be done. With great burden on his mind, he quietly made his way up the treehouse steps, knowing his wife was waiting at the little table set.

Zizi had brewed tea, like she always did. A second cup was waiting for Kahli. As he entered the tree house, she said nothing.

Kahli slowly took his seat, grasping the tea cup. Giving her a respectful bow of the head, he freely took a sip. For a few moments, silence filled the air between them. “The time for talk is now then?”

"Say what you need to say." Zizi told her husband. "I promised Manaco I would listen."

“The truth. And nothing but the truth.”

"Truth or not, there is and will always be pain."

“Of course. That is my life. I suppose I could only delay it for a while.” Kahli took another sip of tea, his hands calm and steady.

"... I want to know why."

“Manaco thinks that you believe that Zannah was something I could have avoided before our marriage. You forget, I became indebted to her before we ever met. By sparring my life, I was forced into a spiritual contract with her. The Emperor could ask me of anything bar breaking my physical bond to you.” Kahli set his tea down, gently heating it up by trailing his finger around the rim and applying body heat. “I never imagined at the time she’d ask me to play such a large-scale plan in resurrecting my tribe. There’s always been so many variables with that Zizi. I couldn’t, mentally or spiritually, stop myself from fulfilling the terms of her life debt. Our god wouldn’t allow it, so it is physiologically for all Hasai that carry the flame. I’ve also gone back and forth in not caring for the Waku. I saw them as merely clones, donations of myself. How could they be my children. Yet, there was a small flicker in me that was glad to know Zannah sought to see my people revived after genocide. Yes, she has them as part of her military, but that has been part of Hasai culture since the conception of the Empire eons ago. But the most painful part was the pain I knew this would bring you if... when revealed. I tried my best to keep this ugly truth from the beautiful light of our family. I didn’t want the Empire to have complete control over our children, so I complied instead of taking my life.”

"... I should have killed her all those years ago when she first kidnapped me." Zizi was trying to keep her emotions in check, but the tree was evidence that she was highly upset and angry. The wood kept shifting. Leaves keep whistling and moving. "I tried to do the right thing by her and her people and look where it got me."

“I can’t argue. You saved so many lives. Zannah in turn created many, and turned a society of violence against their fellow man into unity. She’s... I don’t think she’s ever seen any of us as friends. Family and her subjects well being...”

"She's using them as pawns. Chess pieces. It sickens me."

“I could judge Covarog similarly.” Kahli was quiet, defeated in his voice. “Any questions on your mind?”

"Covarog can be an asshole but he doesn't keep secrets from my sister." Zizi gave Kahli a hard stare. "Grievous mentioned something about Zannah making you swear not to tell me, but I still can't..." She set down her tea cup, trying to focus. "I still cannot, for the life of me, wrap my head around you thinking that all of this would never come to light."

“Per the life debt, Zannah can give mental commands as well. One was to never speak of the process. I had no choice but to obey. My soul was trapped by it.”

"... even if that is the case... you never wanted to tell me in the first place."

“I did. God, I did.” Kahli had so little energy in his voice. And a deep pain that echoed through every fibre of his body.

"How do you ever expect me to trust you again?" Zizi could not even look at him, and instead, stared at her cup. "Your debt isn't even over from what Grievous said. I know you will go running back to Zannah, whether you wish it or not. I thought... at one point in time that the life of an assassin, a warrior, you would leave it behind completely. I thought you did to stay here with me, with our family. But..." She gripped her cup tightly. "You're a Waku... a Hasai... and I daresay sometimes, they want to be a pawn of Zannah's."

It was Kahli’s turn to not look her in the eye. “When have I last killed someone as an assassin. When have I fought in a battle last? As for my debt, I don’t know what else to do. What can I do Zizi?”

"I don't know when was the last time you did such a thing. Zannah might have commanded you to do so, and you did not tell me. You might be keeping that from me too and who knows what else." Zizi stood from her seat. "Go finish your debt to Zannah."

“I haven’t gotten over the thousand mark yet. What about our children Zizi? What about this family? Everything I’ve done, in both pride and shame, I’ve done for all of us.”

"If there was a way to get out of this debt to Zannah, wouldn't you have tried long ago?" Zizi scoffed. "Kahli, you're missing my point. How in the name of the heavens above do you ever expect me to trust you after this?"

“If I begged, she could simply silence me with a word. I alone can’t challenge her whim. My soul might be Zannah’s for now... but my loyalty and love are for you.”

"Loyalty and love go hand in hand with trust, Kahli." Zizi could barely even look at her husband. She felt sick. The Zemlja wanted to scream at him, she wanted to hurt him as much as he hurt her. She hated feeling this way. Zemljas were supposed to be peaceful, benevolent, keepers of the earth. She felt far from peaceful and eons from benevolent. "I want to forgive you, and I want to forget but... there is evidence in my home right now, sleeping beside of my children, of this whole fucked up situation." She took a sharp inhale. "And that poor girl deserves none of the blame. All she wants is some answers, and someone to tell her she's more than just another soldier under Zannah's thumb. But you?" Zizi shook her head. "All these years we've been together, I've never doubted you until now. I don't know if that doubt will ever go away. I don't know if I will ever be able to trust you again. As for Zannah," She gritted her teeth. "I will make her pay for betraying my trust. I thought she was my friend, our friend... and once again, I was blindsided."

“No!” Kahli’s tea shook with his voice. “Be angry with me. Blindly maim me as much as you like, but I will not endanger our children’s lives because you want to seek revenge against Zannah. Do you want war Zizi? Do you want our children to experience it?”

"You honestly think I'm dimwitted? I will not attack her in front of the Empire's citizens', Kahli, nor will I cause war between her and my sister." Zizi figured her husband would know better than that. "I am patient. I am clever. I will find a way to make her hurt without her ever knowing it was me."

“Don’t be a fool Zizi. Don’t seek vengeance.” Kahli shook his head, not knowing how to heal this. “What can I accomplish by going to Zannah now alone? Tell me.”

"Fool? You honestly think I cannot win against her, in any way, do you? She thinks she's untouchable, dares to say she's some sort of deity, and I will show her that she's just as vulnerable as the rest of us. Maybe not now. Maybe not tomorrow. But soon. I am a patient woman." Zizi then threw her hands up. "And what makes you think I have a damn clue what you should do? For all I care right now, you can go there and stay there until the debt is up." She walked toward the ladder. "I'm going to take care of my children and the newest addition to the family. You figure out a solution."

Kahli stood in the way of the doorway. “Zizi. This is my family too. Those are our children. How long can you keep me from them? I want to hold the triplets. I want to laugh at our sons jokes. We’re a family. I won’t be able to go on without you.”

"You can see your children anytime, Kahli." Zizi corrected him, trying to go around him, but he was being stubborn. "I won't keep them from you. You can hold the triplets, laugh at jokes, whatever you wish. But concerning me? What I need is time. Right now, I want nothing more than to scream at you, and to hurt you like you've hurt me. And I hate feeling that way. I don't like violence; I don't want to be violent." She then snapped; every moment close to him disgusting her. "Get out of my way!"

“Then I’m going to go sleep in my own bed.”

"The hell you are, you're not sleeping beside of me!"

“Then you don’t need to sleep in that bed.” Kahli made his way out the tree fort first.

"You're not staying in my house, you're going to Manaco's!" Zizi was out of the tree house and on the ground with the help of the huge branches. "I don't want you near me, I don't want to see you, I don't want to hear you! I don't care if you want to see the kids, but you're doing so elsewhere."

“I built that house. I built that bed. So how about this.” Kahli turned to Zizi, pointing a sharp finger at her nose. “I get one more final night in the comfort of my own bed. Then, in the afternoon, I leave for the Empire. I will confront Zannah, and I will find a way to pay off my debt, or die trying. Perhaps I can restore some honour I tainted between us with a worthy death trying. You have sisters you can go see for the night. You, the one who broke my ribs and STRUCK ME CAN GO!!! You nearly KILLED ME!!! I’ve never hit you or the kids all my life. I tried my best given a bad hand, so you will give me this one thing Zizi!” Kahli shouted at her, his fury at himself, a little towards his wife, and the world surfacing. “You can come back in the morning, and perhaps, if you’re wishes are strong enough, I’ll be dead by tomorrow night!”

"YOU DESERVED IT, YOU TRAITOR!!!" Zizi screamed back at him, a flash of green emitting from her skin. Thorns were sprouting once more and some plants even started to wilt. "You know what?! Fine! Go enjoy one last night in that house. You can take care of the kids, you can take care of the chores, and you can go kiss Zannah's green ass because spirits knows, you rather be at your be serving your precious Empire rather than here! I'm fucking tired of your excuses! That's all I've heard, not you owning up to your mistakes! Blame it on whatever life debt or god or reason you want to, I will never trust you again! And you can bet that I will find a way to make that bitch pay! Whether you think it's foolish or not, spirits as my witness, I will make her world crumble just like mine has!" She used her magic to call forth some vines before using snark, saying, "Dead? You're the fool, Kahli, Zannah won't kill you. She still needs you for a debt, remember?"

Then, the vines carried her away from the greenhouse, away from Kahli, and not toward the castle, but toward the forest... if anyone would tolerate her presence without questions, it would be Skull Kid.

The Waki glared off into the darkness his wife vanished into. He deserved to be maimed? He was a traitor to his family? Nonsense. Did he deserve to be cast out? Perhaps? But to be nearly killed? What example did that set for the children? Tired, Kahli arrived back at his home, the moon covered by clouds tonight to mask his entrance. It seemed all his children were fast asleep. Tomorrow was a weekend, so no school for them. That would give him some time to speak to them if they wished. After scrounging around for some leftover food, the man went straight to the comfort of his bed. This night turned out to be nothing but hell for his mind.

________________________________________________________________

Previous Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/611455983362949120/burnt-heart-ch-3-breach-of-trust

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/612492318747082752/burnt-heart-ch-5-reflection

Crossover with @ridersoftheapocalypse. In the ATOTR expanded universe with work from @figmentforms and @s-kinnaly.

#Crossover #ridersoftheapocalypse #Zizi #Kahli #Hasai #Grievous Dal #family drama

[mrneighbourlove]

Burnt Heart: Ch 8. What Comes Around...

Zannah deeply harmed Zizi. Her actions against her and her husband cut her deep into the Lorliedian. Revenge was ironed in Zizi’s mind, and she spent nights imagining ways to make Zannah suffer in her own personal way. However, as fate would have it, sometimes Karma lent a hand out into the universe.

One sunny morning, it was peaceful at Hyrule Castle. Suddenly, casting a shadow over the Queen, the long serpent body of the great Dragon Fel’lath appeared before her. “Queen Zarazu. I come before you in time of a sudden crisis upon the Empire.”

Covarog and Zarazu were outside in the courtyard playing a quiet game of checkers. Ba'puu and Umbra'lee were there, semi-circled around the couple. Over the years, Covarog had gotten used to the dragon constantly being around. There were a few changes, of course, when Ba'puu and Umbra'lee became a mated pair. Hatchlings arrived, grew, then moved out of the nest. There was hardly ever any peace outside the castle because of it. Not to mention, all of the hatchlings had a horrible habit of stealing chess or checker pieces for fun. Yet now, there was finally some silence and all was right within the world... So the king thought.

Ba'puu raised his gargantuan head to acknowledge Fel'lath. As time passed, Ba'puu was growing larger and larger, just like his sire before him. Now, Ba'puu was ever bigger than the palace itself, yet still insisted upon seeing his human 'mother'. Trilling, the water dragon looked at Fel'lath from snout to tail. "What happened to you?" Ba'puu asked. "You look like shit."

"Ba'puu..." Zarazu's voice held a chiding tone. "Fel'lath... what happened?"

Fel’lath had indeed looked better. His claws had dirt crusted on him, and his beard was covered in crusty earth. “Nature has not been kind. Over an hour ago, a massive earthquake struck the secondary island of El Tahu. Many are dead, but more concerning to the Emperor, is that her children are trapped alive almost half a kilometre under ground after the earth swallowed their tower whole. She requests a powerful earth dragon or Zemalji to assist her. Assistance from Danjur would be too late.”

Zarazu was trying to brush some of the dirt away from Fel'lath's snout when he relayed the news.

"An earthquake... oh, spirits, usually a tsunami follows right behind." Zarazu was no stranger to this type of disaster. She had experienced it with the Zoras. Luckily, there was minimal damage and only a few injuries due to the Zorans living underwater, but there were many homes that were affected. "My sister is the Earth Sage... but... I..." She exchanged a glance with her husband. "I'll mention it to her. For now, I can send a few earth dragons and Zemljas, but even they cannot dig so deep without necessary risk. Too much pressure. Please ensure that Zannah understands this."

“Ah. So Zizi is the only one who can safely master the Earth?”

"... that deep into the ground? Yes." Zarazu explained to Fel'lath, using an analogy. "I may be able to control water at my beck and call, but even I cannot swim so deeply into the abyss without the pressure crushing me. You have the gift of flight, but can only fly so high until you can no longer breathe. Do you understand what I'm saying, Fel'lath?"

“Then I will waste no time on pride. Or waste time the living have left. Always good to see you Ba’puu.”

"Please inform Zannah that I will send what help I can, but as far as my sister?" Zarazu clasped her hands together, sighing. "That may take some convincing, Fel'lath. I can only ask... I cannot force."

"I will inform Admiral Corsaire to ready some supply relief ships." Covarog told Fel'lath. "Inform Zannah for me."

“I am aware of all your concerns. Thank you, and goodbye.” With no wings, Fel’lath gracefully levitated into the air, snaking his way through the sky. When he quickly found his way to Kahli’s residence, it seemed he accidentally scared a couple of tailed young adults intertwined and kissing on the deck chair. The girl appeared to be a cross between a Dal and Waku. The boy was from Uskar if his smell was correct. The girl stood, a quickened voice breaking from her. “F-father!”

Fel’lath simply smiled, curling on the lawn. “Do not mind me. Lovers should be allowed to mind their business.” It seemed his deep, fatherly voice at least calmed some of the younger children watching afar with awe.

Stigr, no matter how long Hyrule and Uskar had been allies, was still not able to get used to dragons. It was programmed into his head that there was immediate danger. He nearly bolted out of his skin when Fel'lath landed in front of the house, plastering himself and Grievous up against the wall, tail straight up.

"Fucking son of a two faced warlock, how the FUCK does something so big sneak up so quietly?" Stigr cursed in Uskarian.

"Oh fuck an Abyssian, it's you." Urboro heard the commotion from her baby sister's interrupted smooching time. She knew the dragon. Knew who the dragon belonged to. And was sorely tempted to tell him to piss off. "What do you want?"

“Hello, Urboro. My, how you’ve grown.”

Grievous was terrified. Was this dragon after her? Did Zannah grow spiteful towards her father? All she could do was watch in paralysis and silence as the dragon’s whiskers floated up and down in the air magically.

Fel’lath once more, only radiated calm and kind energy. “I know what Zannah did to your mother Urboro. I know what she did to you. However, I would not be here if it did not concern innocent lives. The Empire needs Zizi’s magic to once again save its citizens. More specifically, I ask Zizi would save Athena and Griffith from certain death.”

Inside the house, Fel’lath picked up that Kahli and Zizi were arguing. It seemed the man was insistent Zizi stay inside and that he would handle this new development outside.

"Kahli, I told you once before, and I'll tell you again, I will open upon the earth and swallow that dragon to the bowels of fucking hell if he even so much as puts a whisker on you!!!" Zizi was having a hard time trying to get past her husband to tromp outside. He had her around the waist and was holding her back. If she really wanted to get free, she probably could, yet she did not want to hurt her husband. Ever again. "You let go of me this instant!"

Urboro heard the commotion inside and quirked an eyebrow. "I agree with Mom about you trying to harm my Dad, but my question is this," She took a sip of her lemonade. "Has Zannah finally gone senile? Of all people, she's asking my mom? Has she forgotten what she did?" She then turned to her sister, assuring her. "Not you, Grivy, you're a sweetie, unlike this fuck here." Urboro then snorted. "Stigr, calm your tail, Fel'lath doesn't eat horny monkeys."

"Does he eat non-horny monkeys?"

"Same difference."

“I’m a vegetarian little children. What’s more, this is for the sake of innocents I come, not Zannah’s ego. She would prefer someone else. I see no reason to deny.”

Kahli stomped out, pulling both Grievous and Stigr by the tails to get in the house. “Zizi, look after Grievous and her monkey boy.” The Waku stood his ground against Fel’lath. “Great Fel’lath. I have nothing but respect for you, but I must have respect for myself. I do not wish the Empire to come here.”

“True. I am not Empire. But I come on the Empire’s behalf. No, I come on the Hasai’s behalf. Lives are in peril Kahli.”

"My name is Stigr---" The door was promptly shut in the Uskarian's face. He had an inkling that Kahli did not like him as a suitable choice for Grivy. Either that, or it was one of those alpha-male ego things. He couldn't quite place it. "... I still don't think your father likes me."

Meanwhile, Zizi was cursing in five different languages and demanding that she be let outside, despite Urboro trying to calm down her mother.

"Mom, seriously, Dad's got this shit."

"If that dragon hurts him, I'm going to be making a purse out of his skin!!!!"

“I’ve come here today to speak to your wife.”

“What?” Kahli immediately took a battle stance, fire shimmering between his fingers. “No. You don’t get to take her from me.”

“Your fire no longer has a chance of hurting me. Besides. I never said I would. I will simply stay here until she hears my plea.”

The biggest mockery to Kahli’s ego was watching Fel’lath yawn, and start to sleep on his lawn.

"DAAAAAAD!" Urboro shouted from inside the house. "Mom is---"

Zizi busted through the front door, almost knocking it off the hinges with a face of rage. At her feet, on the left side, Urboro was holding onto an ankle, and on the right side, Grivy was holding the other ankle. Despite Zizi's age, she still managed to drag her legs forward. She had raised fifteen kids, all of whom had clutched at her legs at some point. Stigr stayed out of the mess, at least wanting Zizi on his side if Kahli was not.

"YOU!!!" She growled at Fel'lath.

"... she got loose."

Fel’lath opened one eye to her, still relaxing on the ground. “By Vatra. Such fire.”

Grievous was terrified to see her step mother be so primal. Kahli turned, forcing a gulp from rising. “Zizi. Get back in the house.”

"The hell I will, this is that stinking pet of Zannah's and I want it off my land immediately!!!" Zizi tugged on her right leg, glaring down at Grivy. "Sweetie... let. Go."

"Don't let go." Urboro told her sister.

"Urboro, Grivy, you listen here, I'm the mother, you will respect me, I said let go!"

"Mom, please calm down, Fel'lath isn't here to hurt Dad---"

"I don't give an Abyssian's ass why he's here, I want him gone!"

“I never knew that Dragons were the pets of others. Did you?” Fel’lath looked in the direction of Zizi’s companion dragons. “You have the fury of Vatra in your heart right now Zizi, instead of the calm serenity of Zemalji. Trust me, I’ve met them both. And that is the key phrasing. Trust me. I am not here to bring you pain of any kind.”

"You're a pet, they're companions, you blindly follow Zannah's every whim, they don't follow mine! I have every right to be furious!" Zizi snapped at Fel'lath. "Trust you? Trust you?! Let me tell you where trust got me with Zannah, Fel'lath! Nothing but humiliation, grief, and a fight that nearly tore my family apart! Why should I believe one fucking word you say?!"

“Because I came to you against Zannah’s word. Her children are about to die. More Hasai are going to die. It seems karma struck against Zannah, if you believe such things. Not to long ago an earthquake hit the island home of her children’s residence. I’m sure if you concentrate, you can feel them trapped terribly far, deep within the earth. I came to you to save Hasai lives. Not improve the quality of the Empire.” His whiskers brushed up and down the earth. Zizi could feel by the rumble of his belly against the earth that not only was Fel’lath conveying the truth, but he was sad.

"..." Zizi quieted for a moment. There was dirt covering the dragon and he was always particular about his appearance. She stepped onto the ground and listened for time. A disturbance in the earth settled around one of the Empire's islands. Innocents were hurt. Homes were destroyed. And there... she stopped. There was a wave coming, a tsunami. It followed natural disasters like this. "I feel it." She told the dragon, curling her hands into fists. "... I swore I'd never go back to the Empire. I didn't want anything else to do with Zannah. But you are right... her people are innocent. They had no part her actions." Zizi sighed, furrowing her brow. By the spirits, she did not want to do this. Was this a test? Was this what Zemlja meant when he told her think carefully upon her actions? Maybe not an act of revenge but... an act of grace?

“Then you will accompany me to the island?”

“No. Zizi, let them suffer in isolation.” Kahli grasped her shoulders, Grievous and Urboro still holding on. “I won’t let you be taken from me. I won’t let the Empire hurt you.”

"... what if... some of your other children are there?" Zizi spoke very softly.

That got both Kahli and Grievous to let go of Zizi. Kahli frowned, his golden eyes staring down at her. “... You aren’t going without me.”

"Someone needs to stay to watch the little ones." Zizi looked at Urboro and Grivy. "Can you look after your little brothers and sisters?"

“Of course.” Grievous gave Zizi a squeeze of her hands. “You’ll be careful, won’t you? I don’t want to lose someone so amazing after barely getting to know them.”

"I'll be all right, we'll both be all right." Zizi assured Grievous with a smile. "We'll look after each other. We always have." She then leaned forward and whispered into Grivy's ear. "Don't let Urboro near my stove."

“She’s a terrible cook. Got ya.” Grievous got the meaning.

"I heard that!"

"We'll be back as soon as we can." Zizi promised the girls and then took a slow breath. "Ari'phompha and my other dragons of the plantations will join us. I think they too can sense something is amiss."

“Climb on my main and we’ll be off.”

Kahli was the first to climb aboard, reaching a hand out to his wife. He felt grateful that she took it. With her by his side, Kahli held her around the hip as Fel’lath took off into the air. “Zizi... I’m sorry for being a terrible husband to you.”

"We're past this now, Kahli," Zizi held around her husband's waist as Fel'lath took off into the air. "You were cornered. There was nothing you could have done. I reacted badly. We both hurt each other. The important thing is that we moved past this and we'll be stronger because of it. I'm not going anywhere."

“I should never have hurt you.”

"The same goes for me." Zizi admitted to Kahli. "I shouldn't have hurt you either. We both have done things we regret. But dwelling on them will only bring more grief. Let's focus on what we have."

On the island, the Emperor was in panic. Her clothing was dirty, her hands bloody from clawing at crumbled brick to reach her children in vain. She was ordering medics to aid the wounded, and franticly pushing workers to clear the debris.

“Move faster! If more die it will be on your heads!”

Standing at the beach house, she saw Fel’lath and a group of Earth Dragons fly in.

“You’re back! Good. We mustn’t waste any more time.”

The Emperor would suddenly falter when she saw Zizi and Kahli step off the dragon’s main. “What? You two? What are you doing here?”

"... I won't kill her." Zizi had promised her husband before landing on the ground. "I won't attack. I won't do anything to start a war between her and my sister. I'll be okay. I swear."

Though as soon as the pair were on the ground, Zizi was highly tempted to beat the snot out of Zannah. Yet, she had to focus on the bigger picture. There were innocents here that needed her help. The earth was still unstable and another aftershock could occur at any given moment.

“Fel’lath. Why did you bring her here?”

“Zannah. She can save your children.”

The Emperor paused, planting her feet into the sand beneath her. “Zizi... you aren’t going to just let more innocents die, are you? It’s not in your nature. Of course you’ll help, won’t you?”

"I won't let innocents die. Though, I will say the same thing to you that you told my husband all those years ago when he asked for mercy." For all her rage, Zizi kept an eerily calm face. No even a slight twitch of a cheek muscle. She uttered one single word. "Beg."

It was if a bullet had traveled through heart with that single word. It took a moment to register if it was even real to the Emperor. “What?”

"Perhaps you've gotten hard of hearing with age, so I'll gladly repeat myself." Zizi once again said. "Beg."

Zannah looked out to the ocean stealing the water, then back to Zizi. “Are you trying to blackmail me? My children are going to die if you don’t hurry on your end.”

"For that, you can apologize too. Not only to me, but to my husband." Zizi held up her hands, stabilizing several structures on the surface. She had the citizens' attention now. Good. She wanted an audience. "Like I said. I won't let innocents die. Though my skills may or may not reach your children. I wonder..." She paused choosing her words carefully, not mentioning death, neither denying or confirming Zannah's statement. "What kind of pain would it cause you? Like that black hand of yours? Or perhaps worse? Can the self-proclaimed 'god' of the Hasai not even save her own children? If you're a deity, then go ahead. Save your children. Let's see that accumulation of power help you now."

“Stop this. You think you can speak that way to me? Do you feel I cucked your husband? I have the power to save everyone here except my children. I’m a master of fire, not earth. I bring war against the very forces of nature, but I can’t heal or rescue my children. Zizi, please, you’re the only one who can save my children. You have the power here to do that, not me. You have their lives in your hands. If that tsunami even comes close it could shift the earth further. Please, you have to save them. They’re the only blood I have left!”

"... I did not hear begging neither did I hear an apology." Zizi then glanced at the horizon, not even batting an eye. "And that wave is getting closer."

Zannah’s sanity dwindled, and for once, this wasn’t a situation she could blast apart. Zannah dropped to her knees, looking up at her only hope. “Zizi. I’m sorry I hurt you and your husband’s feelings in my act against you. I’m sorry I sacrificed our friendship for the sake of my people. I’m on my knees here. I can’t lose my children! I can’t lose more family!”

Kahli shrugged, looking at the growing wave. “Least you already bury them. We should go Zizi.”

“No! You can’t! You have to save my children! Now! I can’t do it!”

"... I want you to remember this moment. I want you to recall how utterly helpless you feel." Zizi squatted down to look Zannah in the eye. She still betrayed no emotion on her visage. There was just a sparkle, a flicker of... absolute loathing in her eyes. "I want you to recall feeling of despair. That's how I felt then. I thought I had lost my husband. I knew I had lost who I considered a friend. All because of this lust for power, for control." She upturned one palm. "I warned you once long ago that your blasphemy, calling yourself a god, would come back to haunt you. I think this is a fair warning from the deities, don't you agree?" She then upturned the other. "Remember how one Zemlja who you thought was insignificant and who you dared to hurt still came to your rescue... for a second time. You owe me two debts, Zannah. One for rejuvenating your island all those years ago. One for saving your children now. I will collect on those debts. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow... but soon. And then, you will be the one who will not be able to defy me." The Earth Sage stated bitterly. "You're a horrible friend, you're a leader who uses her people as pawns, and you're not a deity, you're far from it. You're nothing but a power-hungry brat. Just like your brother before you. You'll never be the kind of leader you want to be."

With her peace said, Zizi brought her palms together, closing her eyes and concentrating. The children were deep in the earth. What kept them trapped? Mining equipment? No. A secret passageway? No. Was it... simply the earth crushing them? Perhaps. No time to explore with her magic. Roots started to swirl up and cover both Athena and Griffith to protect them during their journey to the surface. The wall of water, on the other hand, was threatening to tower over the island.

Being deemed Earth Sage had its perks. She worked hard for that title.

Slamming one hand on the ground, the earth rumbled, shaking and cracking open. There was a giant chasm lining the beach to consume some of the water. However, that would not be enough to stop it. Glowing green from head to toe with magical energy, Zizi summoned forth an interlocking wall of dirt, roots, vines, and foliage. It sprouted forth from the land, higher than any of the buildings, the height of the wall of water... and held true when the immense wave smacked into it.

Kahli crossed his heart, watching Zizi channel the power of her spirits magic through her. She truly was Zemlja incarnate.

Zannah said nothing in return, her pride in tatters, no words or witty comeback to give. However, when she saw the state of her children as they raised up from the earth, her panic came back to her. She pushed past Zizi to get to them. “My babies!”

Athena and Griffith were not unscathed from the quake swallowing them. Her son’s legs had been crushed, everything below his kneecaps turned into a red paste. Her daughter’s face was... dear god, it was unrecognizable, but she was alive upon feeling her pulse. Neither was conscious as the Emperor started to heavily cry. She carefully held her daughters head close to her chest, Zannah’s eyes expanded wildly in a sense of madness. The last time she held someone like this was her deceased twin. “Oh god. Oh my sweet little angels.”

Kahli turned to see what had Zannah so riled, his attention on Zizi’s magic stopping the wave. “Zizi, are you feeling all—! Oh gods…”

Zizi was gritting her teeth. And sweating. The weight of the water was more than she expected. It felt like she was trying to hold the whole ocean back. The wave was not draining into the split in the earth as quickly as she thought it would. She was shaking, her feet sliding as if she was being pushed back by an invisible force.

"I... I can't..." She managed to speak, almost sounding guttural with the magic influencing her body. A small whimper escaped between her lips, her fingers starting to bend out of place from the unseen weight. "I-It's... so h-heavy..."

Zannah turned to the wave crashing outside. It seemed that she would need to step up to protect her nation after all. Placing both her children down, she raised both her hands in the air. The clouds in the sky turned black, suddenly swirling around and blocking out the sun, except one beam that shined on the Emperor. Her eyes glowed with the intensity of rubies. The ground beneath her feet sizzled.  With her voice speaking to the sky, she released a quiet chant for the gods to hear. “Hell from below. Heaven from above. I call upon all my power. War, war, war, war. This horseman will leave its wake. Nothing will be spared from the roar of this chosen god’s final stake.”

From above in the sky, kilometres of lightning shot down into the tsunami. From deep in the sea, the water boiled as a wall of tremendous fire burst above, flames burning off the top of the magic barrier. Zizi’s wall of earth allowed Zannah to successfully decimate the crashing water, evaporating the wave down to a safe level. Kahli was terrified by the power that radiated outside, and he couldn’t even see most of it, just feel it. Nature was at war with each other in all its elements. With her magic sizzled, Zannah crashed to the beach, exhausted. “You might be the master of the earth, perhaps a goddess... but I am the God of Fire that walks this plane.”

Exhausted, her attention returned turned to her children, too tired to cry. Her rational mind was weakening after unleashing such power on the ocean’s attack. “My sweet, sweet twins...”

Zizi felt some of the weight be removed and nearly stumbled with her steps, yet still stood pushing back. The earth was swirling violently under the water. The ground was shaking once more, rumbling with aftershocks.

"That's... not the wave I'm worried about! The first wave... isn't the worst!" She panted, reaching out to touch Zannah on the shoulder. Her magic allowed the empress to see the impeding doom. "See what I see!"

How long would she be tested? The Emperor truly hoped that it wouldn’t have to come to sacrificing her humanity, but she would take that step if need be. “Then I’ll burn the entire ocean to cinders.” Zannah meant it. She would do it if she needed to. Her rage and fury built, ready to break the limits of her body, mind and soul.

Kahli was visibly worried, looking to his wife. She was a Sage. She was supposed to know what to do. “I don’t doubt you two could do something like that, but is there any other options?”

"You can't burn away the entire ocean, you egomaniac!" Zizi snapped at Zannah, the pressure getting to her. Focus, focus, she had to focus. Her sister was not here to redirect the water... wait. That was it! It could work. Whistling loudly, she obtained the attention of the other earth dragons and Zemljas that had arrived to help. "Help me form a split!!!"

"Split?" Ari'phompha was the first to approach. "You think that will work?"

"It's got to, I can't hold up the entire ocean." Zizi told the old dragon. "The second wave is always the worst. More power, and more speed."

"Like a needle into a thread."

"Exactly." She instructed. "Go tell the others. We only get one shot at this." Holding out her awkward fingers to husband, she left no room for argument. "Wrap them back into place with my belt."

“You can do this Zizi.”

Zannah charged her magical energy to its current maximum limit, a sinister energy cackling from her. All it would take is one snap of energy, like cutting a ribbon with scissors, for her to break her limits if she had the desire. “If you fail, I won’t. Take your shot Slatki.”

Zizi ignored Zannah and was praying under her breath.

"Mighty Zemlja, creator of the roots which run deep, the vines which spiral freely, the trees which grow strong, the flowers in ever beautiful bloom, I pray to you, give me the strength to protect the innocents here, I ask of you to give me your hand, your unrelenting command over the earth..."

Upward the split started to form from the oceanic plate. It was simply a wall of earth from mixed rock, melding together. With the help of her other follow Zemljas, and the earth dragons, the wall was rising... steadily... steadily. Grunting, Zizi held it together with brute force. This had to work, there was no other option. Yet when it seemed the wall would not be tall enough, just before the wave struck, it shot upwards, exponentially.

There stood no longer Zizi. But Zemlja himself.

Zannah felt a small sense of relief fill her. She wouldn’t have to become like her brother to save her people. There was a sense of serenity as the wall simply... stopped the wave. There was a crash outside, but then there was a peaceful calm.

Fel’lath eyed Zemlja carefully. Been a very long time since he seen the spirit. Least in this realm.

Zemlja was a quiet spirit. Impossibly large, the size of an oak tree, with leaves for hair and bark for skin. Even his feet resembled tree trunks. Usually, he had nothing too much to say except words of wisdom. However, this time... he looked sad at the destruction. The land was in tatters. Homes were demolished. Crops were uprooted. Yet, all this could be salvaged, but lives were still lost.

"Magic incarnate..." Zemlja spoke to Kahli and to Zannah, his voice very deep. "This was our gift to the Lorleidians. My follower has used her talents well. Despite her apparent hatred of you," His pupil-less eyes glanced in Zannah's direction. "She hates to witness suffering. To her husband, her mate," The spirit of the earth blinked slowly, looking over Kahli. "You care for her, as she does for you. Long together, will be your years. Yet, I carry word of warning for the future," He foretold, "Balance and Chaos will meet, as will Maker and Destroyer... you will have to choose which side you wish to be on. However, grudges and strife will have no place in this final battle. Green empress," He forewarned, "If you declare yourself a deity, you will have a target upon you, your loved ones, and your homes. Loose this quest for power and be content with what you have lest risk losing everything. Young Waku of fire," He added, "You left behind a life of battle, yet when the day comes, you have two paths, yet which will you take? Will you fight once again or stay behind to watch over what is yours? Beware the Black Dragon and old faces..."

Then he vanished from Zizi's body.

Zannah looked on, flabbergasted. What the hell was it even talking about? Fuck it. Fuck all of them. Her energy sizzled out her finger tips, needing to find a drain out into the world from how much gathered in her. Once down sizzling, she dragged herself to reach her children. “You can leave now Zizi.”

Being a host for Zemlja, even for a short amount of time, felt like Zizi was walking on clouds. To Zemlja it was a few minutes, to her, it felt like an eternity. She sat above the world, watching the stars pass by... and listened. She listened to what fate had left to unfold for them. Once her body was returned to her, Zizi actually felt... rejuvenated. Perhaps it was a gift from her earth spirit as thanks.

"... I will ensure the structures are stable before leaving." Zizi looked to her husband, brushing some dirt off of him. "Let's go make sure there is no one underneath rubble. Then I will leave you to whatever whims you have left, Zannah."

“Citizens! Stop gawking at the sorceress and help your fellow neighbour! The Prince and Princess need immediate medical attention! NOW!!!”

Her fury snapped the people back into action.

"Maybe you should beg for a Dusa next." Zizi muttered under her breath, walking along the rumbled pathways to sense if there were any others who needed help. She gently lifted pieces of houses, trying to undo any dangerous and unsteady pieces. So far, there were only a few people who needed help. Moving a few beams or trees was nothing.

Zannah furiously struck Zizi across the face with the back of her hand. Her children were becoming her breaking point. “Fuck you bitch!”

Kahli saw a full-on lioness fight would take place if he didn’t step in. “We’ll leave Zannah. We’ll leave. I’m certain the Queen of Danjur isn’t too far behind, and the Earth Dragons can assist, but we’ll go.”

Zizi didn't move when she was struck. Matter of fact, she had promised Kahli she would not fight. And she would hold true to that promise. Though, she didn't promise against one of her age one tricks. Zarazu and Zolori always warned others not to get Zizi mad.

"You messed with my family, Zannah." The Zemlja then actually... laughed. "But look at you now. Zemlja was right. Claim to be a deity when you're nothing but a brat and there will be a target on your back. And now your people can view you as you are. You're not their savior anymore..." Her green eyes flickered upward at the Empress. "I am."

A few of the Hasai looked their way, seeing the Emperor shouting at the Zemlja who had helped them. Murmurs started across the survivors of the disaster. This wasn't right...

“I’ll burn your entire country to ground if they die. I wouldn’t hesitate to wag war just to see your little family burn to ash. You probably organized this disaster didn’t you.”

One of Zannah’s royal guards saw knew his Emperor was being... careless, to put it lightly. “My Emperor. If I may, I think this catastrophe has weighed heavily on all of us. The royal princess and prince aren’t in stable condition yet. We should go accompany them to a hospital.”

Zannah looked down at Zizi, her golden eyes filled with madness and fury. It was honestly a coin flip if she’d attack with greater force. She didn’t turn away from Zizi when she answered her guard. “Yes. We should all be so grateful to have as much time as we can with our children.”

Finally, the Emperor turned, her heart plummeting when she laid eyes once more on her twins.

The Hasai people were shaken by today’s events. Zizi was indeed correct about being a saviour. But they also saw Zannah’s power. And truth be told, it scared them dearly. No one would dare speak such a thing now, but with the condition of the royal twins as they were currently, perhaps a regime change would be possible.

Kahli, finally, turned to his wife, placing a hand on her shoulder and examining her cheek. “You going to be alright?”

"Huh. Didn't know that stupidity was added to the mixture. You might claim to be able to win against me, or my husband, but I do have a good memory." Zizi did nothing but smile. "If you attack us... oh my, that's right." She pretended to be surprised. "If you attack my kingdom... you loose Annuciata. Your fuck buddy. Your mate. For good. She will not wage war against us. Seems like you're not only a brat, but stupid and forgetful too." She knew her not snapping and lashing out at the empress was weighing on Zannah's last nerve. She would not be the one to give in this time. When Zannah turned her attention to her children, Zizi flinched when Kahli touched her cheek. It was a little tender, but she would be all right. "Oh, I'll be fine, Kahli." Zizi assured him. "It's just a bruise, nothing more. Come... you are right, we shall leave. Let's go home and leave these ruins to Zannah."

“We can take one of the Earth Dragons back.” Once out of ear shot, Kahli ran a hand down his face. “That was very, very risky of you. She’s not mentally all together.”

"I know she's not," Zizi climbed on top of Ari'phompha and then offered Kahli her hand. "I wanted to see her break."

“If she didn’t lead an army that was fanatically driven to her, I might agree with you.”

"It's of no matter now, Kahli. I got what I wanted... and the people are safe."

Kahli nodded, giving his wife a close hug. With this, they could truly put the Empire behind them now. “Let’s go home Zizi.”

Zannah stayed by her children’s side, lamenting her failure. Why? Why did this happen to her? The strong were supposed to lead others into prosperity. The strong didn’t need to beg.

It took almost twelve hours, but suddenly, there were Sky Gliders filling the sky across the Empire. All of the floating ships were dropping supplies. Food, fresh water, medicine, and blankets... all of it was dispersed. From the largest of the Sky Gliders, Annuciata looked for Zannah. She could see that Hyrule and other nations had sent assistance, but she desperately wanted to see if the Emperor herself was alright.

Zannah, even as her people were being helped, stayed by her children. It took a direct message from T0-D to let Annuciata know the Emperor could be found at a hospital center.

Annuciata, for the first time in her life, actually looked disheveled. Her hair was frizzy, and she was wearing pants and a blouse and boots. She fit all the taboos for a Danjuran, royal woman to commit for a diplomatic visit. Then again, this was not the usual of visits so she supposed this slight curtness could be overlooked. When the robot appeared on her ship, Annuciata almost hit him with her fan she was so startled. Though, she did thank him for the message and had her ship land.

Climbing down the ladders from the ship, Annuciata started to call out for the Empress.

"Zannah?! Where are you?!"

“I’m here.”

Griffith’s legs had to be sawed off from the kneecaps to get rid of the damaged handicap. Athena had white, bloodied bandages wrapped completely around her face. Both the twins were put into forced comas at the moment. Zannah had scribbled maps of island for updates, but it looked she hadn’t moved much in her time since being beside them, if at all from her chair.

"I came as fast as the Sky Gliders would fly!" Annuciata hurried up to Zannah, huffing for air. "And... oh dear goddesses..." Her eyes fell upon Athena and Griffith and it was only she could do not to retch. Breath in. Breath out. "What... what happened?"

“A category 6 level earthquake hit the island. The earth itself swallowed their shared tower home. As they become swallowed 500 meters downwards, Griffith’s legs became crushed by the crust of the earth. Athena had sharp gravel scalp her entire face. They’re on deaths door Annuciata.” Zannah’s voice was cold, tired, and defeated.

"I... I can begin a search for healers... the best healers!" Annuciata had known the twins since they were smaller. She wouldn't let them suffer like this. There had to be a solution! "Where's Tod? I can get him to send a message to Queen Zarazu. She knows some of the best healers! There's one in Uskar, where Kanisa lives, she delivered Kanisa's baby, oh what was her name? Neera? Nana? No... Naira! That's it! We could get her and I could get a few surgeons from Danjur and maybe Labrynna would send us some of their top-notch healing potions..." The queen was rambling.

“It’s not fixable, even by regular magicians of the healing arts. I asked Hylian mages that came to assist my people. They said the damage took too much away. They can’t create the necessary matter to grow my son’s legs back. Or give my daughter her smile once more. A god appeared to save my people due to Zizi’s interference. But they did nothing to save my children.” Silent, angry tears were coming down her face as she kept her focus on her children. “They called me a brat. They made me feel I deserve this as my personal punishment. But who deserves this kind of hell? WHO!?!” Zannah screamed as she threw the maps of the table in an act of frustration. Raising her arm, she brought it down, snapping the wooden table in half.

Annuciata jumped at Zannah's outburst. Listening to her words, she did not know what to say to comfort Zannah. This was a situation where she had no experience. She lost her mother to illness. Her father died of a heart attack. But thinking the heavens above were against her? Looking at Athena and Griffith, the Queen of Danjur was at a loss for words, but something had to do.

Gently, Annuciata put her arms around Zannah's shoulders.

"I... don't know what to say to make you feel better. I don't have much experience with the supernatural." The queen spoke very quietly as to not agitate Zannah further. "I was always told that the deities are a mystery to us. There are things we do to please them, and things we do that displease them. I don't know what you believe, but... this could be a test. This could be a joke. This could simply be a natural disaster. Take your pick, but if it comes to it..." She took a slow breath. "I can always make Griffith a pair of legs, and... and I'm sure Eleonora would know something about growing artificial skin for Athena."

Zannah sobbed as the Queen spoke to her and held her. Annuciata was the only one she’d let her emotions down around. Taking deep breaths, she tried to breath more. “Zizi said I was nothing but your ‘fuck buddy’. That I’m nothing. Is that true?”

"... wait, Zizi was here?" Annuciata sounded shocked. "She actually came here?" The brief thought of why crossed her mind. What would Zizi be able to gain by coming here? ... unless it was karma really being a bitch. "I'm... I am quite surprised that she did come, love. Especially with... your history." She tried to put it lightly. "And as far as her comment, I'm sure she was just goading you. I'm here, aren't I?"

“She humiliated me and castrated my people’s belief in me is what she did.” Finally, Zannah turned to look at Annuciata. Her eyes were pink and puffy from all the crying she did. “What are we? I’ve never been your girlfriend; we’ve never been able to wed... is she right? Is that my title? A brat who’s found herself becoming a glorified concubine?”

"Love, I hate to be the logical person, though I'm sure she felt humiliated when she found out what you did to her husband." The Queen of Danjur was trying her best to remain... somewhat neutral. "Yet it doesn't excuse her behavior if she did influence your people somehow. Besides, if you were a glorified concubine, then wouldn't we be having sex all the time instead of running our countries?" Annuciata placed her forehead against Zannah's, stroking her hair to calm her. She tried to keep a bit of humor in the situation. Maybe it would help ease Zannah's worries. "I can't say that title sounds too bad if it means I get to retire. More time with you." She chuckled lightly, "And yes, you can be a brat when you don't get your way. But I still love you."

“I... this ruins everything. I thought I could step down as Emperor soon and give the throne to...” The Emperor couldn’t even finish that sentence. “They’ll never be in the condition for it.”

Zannah rested her head against Annuciata’s warm bussom. “I almost lost control today. I was so close to becoming a monster. I threatened to invade Hyrule just to kill Zizi if my children died. I was so angry...”

"You have a right to be angry. It's okay to be angry. It's not okay to lash out at someone who had nothing to do with this. She's the Earth Sage, not a killer of innocents." Annuciata held Zannah tightly, sighing. "At least... at least Zizi came. She may have done so for whatever reason, but at least she came to help. Imagine how much worse it would have been if she didn't. I love you but I can't stop an earthquake with my machines." The Queen of Danjur then told Zannah, "Let's... let's just focus right now on the twins. I'll start sketching some prototypes for Griffith and get a message to Eleonora. It won't hurt to try, will it?"

“No, it won’t ... can you stay for a while and hold me? I’m scared.”

"... it's okay to be scared too. Everyone gets scared." Annuciata kissed Zannah's forehead. "I'm not a goddess or spirit or deity of any kind, but I'll do my best by you and the twins because I love you. Regardless of whether we're wed or not, people who love each other do their best by them. I'm not going anywhere."

“I love you so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Zannah was worried that by scorching Zizi, she was the one left with a burnt heart.

"I love you too, Zannah. Our situation is unique, for sure, but we're stronger for it." The Queen of Danjur then took a look at her lover with a quirked eyebrow "... maybe next time you'll listen when I tell you that a bad idea is a bad idea?" Annuciata jested lightly, "And don't worry too much. We'll figure out a solution for our babies."

Our. That meant the world to Zannah coming from Annuciata. “Will they be alright here without us?”

"Love, they're simply sleeping. Let Tod watch over them while you get some rest." Annuciata assured Zannah. "I'll make sure everything runs properly. You'll trust your people in my hands for a few hours, won't you?"

It was almost midnight by this point. The Emperor nodded, taking Annuciata’s hand. “It should have been me... I’m so tired.”

"How about we move you and the twins to my Sky Glider? It's no palace, but has a bed for each of you." Annuciata suggested. "I could have my soldiers move a bed into the twin’s room. That way, you'd feel better keeping an eye on them when you wake."

If they woke. Zannah slowly kissed Annuciata gently, her lips tender and light. “Once I feel safer knowing they’ll be stable, I’m going to spoil your kind soul so much. I owe you too much my love.”

"Make love, not war, Zannah." Annuciata obtained the attention of a few guards. "Please escort the empress and her children to my personal Sky Glider. Make sure they have what is needed and then return to help distribute supplies."

"Yes, my queen."

“It’s Emperor- never mind. Let’s go to bed…” Zannah almost laughed. Nothing would be same for her going forward, she felt that in the air. Perhaps fate would have been better for her if she simply had left Kahli and Zizi alone.

________________________________________________________________

Previous Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/612606875698085888/burnt-heart-ch-7-burning-bridges-repairing Crossover with @ridersoftheapocalypse Shared world with @s-kinnaly

#True Final Chapter to this arc. #We thought it could use a little more oomph. #And by oomph give Zizi some payback. #Crossover #Zizi #Kahli #Zannah #Annuciata #Hasai #Lorleidians #Body horror injury

[mrneighbourlove]

Serious Gal and Her Hot Night Out: Burnt Heart Spin off.

Grievous had stayed in the kingdom of Hyrule for a month now since her initial arrival. To be honest, she was feeling paradise here. No more drills, no more academic military studies, and no more being stuck on a hot island. Currently, she was learning how to paint her nails with her older half-sibling.  

"I believe you're getting pretty good there," Urboro inspected Grievous' handiwork as she painted her own nails. Even though she was a Zemlja, she had the hotheaded nature of a Vatra. After a long day out on the fields, Urboro was ready for the nightly entertainment. "Next, I'll show you how to do some sexy eyeliner."

“Ok. If you think it’ll make me pretty.” Grievous was anxious, a brand-new way of life ahead of her.

"You're already pretty, this will make you hot." Urboro instructed. "Okay, now close your eyes and don't move. It will feel wet at first, that's normal. Then it will dry."

Grievous did as she was told, her tail wagging from the sensation. “You told me that there were young men with six packs in town? I researched there a lot of farmers in Hyrule.”

"Yes, there are, but I suppose it depends on your preference." Urboro carefully applied the liquid black eyeliner to accent Urboro's eyes. "If you like men, if you like women, or both. Personally, I like my men like I like my rocks. Hard." She snickered at the implication. "Though I think you will like Muso when you meet him. He's a gentle giant of sorts and very talented with his work in the forge. He helped Aunt Zarazu's friend, Asakonigei, in the forge when she had a lot of orders. He's no Kovina, but still knows how to..." She purred. "Pound and pound and pound..."

Grievous wasn’t at all feeling second hand embarrassment due to Urboro fantasizing sex. In fact, the Dal had been thinking about the possibilities for herself. “Is Muso your boyfriend?”

"Yes, we've been dating for two years." Urboro told Grievous. "It was sort of an accident, how we met. Some pervert in the bar slapped my ass, and I turned around to punch said pervert. Well, I thought the pervert was Muso. I was wrong. It was one of his buddy. Muso then knocked out his asshole of a friend, and apologized to me. Needless to say, I was mortified for punching the wrong man and offered to buy him a drink."

“That’s a nice story. I’d have broken their arms.” Grievous laughed at the thought. “I imagine this ‘pounding’ is nice. You said I’d be exotic to these men?”

"Yes, because you're new. Someone they're never seen before." Urboro then held up a mirror. "All done! You can open your eyes now."

Grievous did so, and she let out an audible gasp. Her new make up looked wonderful with her wild, exotic hair. Happy, her tail wagged back and forth. “I look so different!”

"Heh, not too different." Urboro then took a seat behind Grievous to do her hair. "Listen, you don't have to wear makeup unless you want to. A lot of people say that women wear makeup to impress men. I say bullshit. Wear it for yourself just to feel awesome if you want." She started combing through Grievous' hair. "I'll teach you how to do eyeliner next. Though for now, how do you want your hair? Up? Down? Braids? ... pigtails?"

“My hair? Isn’t it pretty as it is? It goes naturally down does it not?” Grievous was confused, and it showed. “It’s a little thick and spiky to be braided, no?”

"Totally pretty as is, but it's fun to try something different here and there." Urboro used her own hair as an example. "I don't have dreads like my mother, I inherited my father's jet black, straight hair. If I left it down all the time, it'd get boring. So, I put it in braids, or sometimes a tail, or curl it sometimes. You get my point, right?"

"I suppose." Grievous ran her hands through her hair. It was thick, lush, and, most importantly, smooth after a shower. "But if I'm really exotic, shouldn't I keep it the way it is at least the first night? Besides, I believe you mentioned something about men being driven wild by brushing hair with their fingers?"

"True... though a little mousse wouldn't hurt to help show it off. Give it a little more volume." Urboro ran her hands through Grivy's hair. "Now all that is left is T&A and you're good to go."

"T&A?"

"Tits and ass." Urboro finished Grivy's hair and then proceeded to look through her closet. "Hrm... I've got a bigger bust than you, but I think this will do. It's a little small on me, but probably would be perfect on you." She handed Grivy a deep, silky, v-cut crop top and then a pair of tight leather pants. "But we both got a booty. So this outfit should work for you."

"Oh. Thanks." Grievous did her best not to overly smile and let Urboro be let on she was incredibly flattered. No one had really seen her physicality as beautiful or gave it any thought until she came to Hyrule. She loved every bit of care she was being given by her sister and excited for others to see her the same way. "I just have to make one little adjustment." Bringing her finger to the back of the leather pants, she burned a perfect hole in the back. Taking her clothing off, she slipped on only the new clothes as replacements. The crop top went on smoothly, but the pants were a tight fit. From the hole she burned, her tail sprouted outwards. She gave her ass a pat, rubbing the leather. "That's a nice fabric."

"Hey! What are.... oh. I forgot about your tail." Urboro rubbed her chin. "We'll have to make some alterations to the clothes around here, but that would be an easy fix." She then looked at Grivy's backside and thought for a moment. "Hrm... missing something... wait! I got it!" She dove back into her closet and then pulled out a belt, full of jingling accessories. "Here we go... something to announce your arrival and to draw even more attention to your butt. Just clip it on the sides."

"Oh. If you think it will make an appearance." Without looking at her, Grievous used her tail to grab the belt as she was busy with her hands ruffling her hair with a brush in all the right spots she wanted it to be.

"Now, just a few tips," Urboro told Grivy. "There are going to be some guys who want to buy you a drink, or offer to show you a good time, or even ask you to dance. If you like them, then you can say yes. If not, there's nothing wrong with saying no. If you say no and a man doesn't understand that, then that's when you kick him in the crotch and say 'no' really firm, one more time. Give him a hint." She then added, "Or like my Muso, he'll be charming and walk you home, ask to see you again, and then go from there. I lucked out with him."

"Alright. If they try to hurt me, can I burn them or snap their bones?" Grievous buckled the belt, making a twirl to Urboro.

"I would... go with a typical sucker punch." Urboro thought about the inquiry for a moment. "Only really hurt them if it's a life or death situation. I usually just let the ground swallow them up to their neck and leave them that way until they apologize for being a dick."

"Could threaten to have Sylvain to sick em.” Grievous’ energy to get out and explore new aspects of life was rocking her body up and down, even if she kept a rather calm voice. “Let's go! I'm excited to go. I want to met this man of yours."

"Let's just stick to the sucker punch." Urboro assured Grivy. "And one more thing; never ever leave your drink alone. Don't want to get drugged. We'll look after each other, all right?"

"Ok. No looking away from drinks."

There were several bars in the kingdom, but Urboro's favorite was called the Tickle My Citrus. It was a horrible pun about a clitoris, but it did have the best lime margaritas on this side of town. Once inside the building, Urboro ordered herself and Grievous a drink and sat at a small table.

At the table, Grievous took a sip of her drink, squinting a little at the taste. "You know, I'm not a complete stranger to liquor. The Dal grow a selection of wine vines, using the berries for multiple flavours. This is far more bitter than that though."

Her tail was playfully whipping around, making wavy motions with every swallow.

"Tequila is my go-to alcohol. I like the bitter, but if you don't like this one, I could get you a sweet flavored margarita. Let's see," Urboro opened the menu. "They have strawberry, mango, and peach flavors besides lime. Or I could request a mixture of---"

"Ladies..." One of the more forward Hylian guards approached the table. He was halfway to tipsy already. "Which one of you ladies would like to accompany me back to my home tonight?"

Grievous studied him, her eyes examining his movements. He moved like a fish trying to swim on land. As excited as she was for adventure, she knew she could do better. "She's taken. And I'm not looking yet."

"But sweetcheeks, I could show you a really good time..." The guard grinned at her. "Why don't you both come home with me? You and that big ass." With that, he reached out to pinch her backside, but before he could, Urboro had punched him straight in the nose, knocking him backwards.

Shaking her hand, she then scoffed, "You asshole! I just did my nails and you made me break one!" She then called to the bouncer, "Yisi, will you please drag his ass out of here?"

"Sure thing, Ur."

Grievous' tail froze upwards, her eyes narrowing at the man. "I could have done that."

"You can next time, ugh, now I'm going to have to do my nails again." Urboro grumbled, "But that's how you do it. I didn't kill him, but he certainly got the hint. Now, the other guys in here will take you more seriously instead of judging that you're a piece of meat."

"But didn't that mean they only take you seriously? I didn't do anything? You protected me instead of letting me defend myself." Her tail drooped with her thoughts. Once more, Grievous' place on the pecking order with her siblings placed her lower.

"No one messes with my sisters or my brothers. We protect each other. That's how it's done." Urboro explained to Grivy. "If someone tried to touch my ass and I didn't see it, you'd sock him right?"

"Yes. But I saw him coming. Shouldn't I be justified first before breaking him apart?"

"... you want me to go get him and let him try again?" Urboro asked dryly. "I won't apologize for reacting to protect my baby sis."

"No. I'm sorry. Part of me is still seeing this as a competition of you one upping me and not being genuinely caring." Grievous took another swig of her drink. "I'll try not to see it that way anymore."

"Remember, sis, there's no competition here. If you really want a match, you can always sign up for some sparring sessions." Urboro patted her on the shoulder. "Don't think of it of me trying to one up you, just think of it as me trying to look out for you cause you'd do the same for me. We good?"

"Yeah." Grievous finish her beer bottle. Although it was a good first drink, the more she thought about someone trying to make the moves on her, the more her blood boiled. A few people watching the sisters saw Grievous pick up the beer bottle with her tail. With excellent precision, she threw the bottle across the bar, smashing the glass into the guard’s head, knocking him onto his knees just as he was thrown out. Hearing years of practice pay off, she smiled sinisterly. "I'm more than good. Let’s have this fruity drink you were speaking of."

"Hrm... you'd be great at the dart competitions here." Urboro remarked with a snicker. "If you win, you get free drinks for the night. Matter of fact," She looked at the time. "If you hurry, you can sign up for the first game."

"Darts?"

~

Three drinks in. Urboro must have been amazed, because Grievous finally lost almost all tension in her body. Her shoulders were relaxed, she didn't scowl or have resting bitch face, and she was even laughing. The Dal wasn't swaying back and forth or going to far as of yet, but a change was noticeable. Currently, she was kicking her sister's, and anyone bold enough to face her, ass at darts. Throwing three darts, one in each hand and one with her tail, she yelled with victory as she sunk a bullseye first and the two others to get her exact numbers, "Game two! I win again!"

Each time Grievous scored, the men had made a game to take a drink. There was cheering when the darts hit the scoreboard and the downing of shots. Everyone was having a grand time. The patrons in the bar was getting tipsy, but not yet close to drunk.

"Damn, you're good a darts." Urboro admitted defeat. "All right, sis, you've beat me, best two out of three. How about we order some food now? They got great fish and chips---"

"Sugarpie!" Muso made his way through the crowd with a huge basket of fish and chips for his girlfriend. "I thought I heard my woman say she was hungry."

"Hungry for you." Urboro literally latched onto Muso, her hands on his shoulders and legs around his torso. "Where have you been? I wanted to introduce you to Grivy."

"Sorry, sugar, they kept me late at the forge, but I got here as soon as I could, and to make up for it," Muso whispered in her ear. "I'll do that thing with my tongue you like tonight."

"Oh hi!" Grievous smiled, collecting rupees from men she made bets with. She was confident enough to make flirty wagers with her skills for money. Finally meeting Muso, her tail wagged back and forth. "Ah, you must be Muso. Urboro spoke a great deal about you."

"So you're little Grivy," Muso gently set Urboro back on her feet and pulled a chair up to the table. Taking one of the chips to munch on, he then said, "It's nice to finally meet you. Odd family dynamic you got going on there, but no judgement from me, I got two half-brothers and a half-sister due to mom having three different husbands. Divorced my dad, her second husband died, and her third husband is still living."

"Babe, didn't you say you were going to bring Stigr here too?"

"Oh, he's here, he's just ordering a round of drinks for everyone." Muso pointed out his friend by the bar. "Tall guy with white streaks in his hair? That's him."

Grievous wasn't listening to much, digging into the fish and chips set in front of her. "I have hundreds of half-siblings, but a number is number I guess. It's about who you form bonds with."

"I think you'll like Stigr though, Grivy." Urboro pulled the food away from her sister long enough to get her attention. "He's from Uskar and a warrior just like you."

"Oh yeah, he's a great sparring partner." Muso told the Dal. "Matter of fact, he's got this really unique style. He likes to use the trees to do his scouting."

"Uskar? The Empire taught us about them in great detail. Where is he?" Grievous looked around, and the moment she did, she came face to face with who she was looking for.

"I didn't know if the ladies wanted another round of margaritas or a beer so I got both." Stigr set the tray of drinks down on the table and then looked at Grievous with a wide grin. "So you're the new addition to the family that Urboro was telling me about at work." He was not as large as Muso, but he was still a burly man and had heterochromia; one blue eye and one brown. "I noticed you were kicking ass at darts. Where did you get so good?" And oddities upon oddities... he had a long, white tail.

Grievous was looking down at his long appendage, fascinated by it. Her own brown tail wagged herself, catching Stigr's gaze. "Wow, I didn't know you were like me."

"...? Like you?" Stigr looked confused. "I'm not Dal. I'm Uskarian."

"I think she means the tail, dude." Muso gestured to the friend's extra appendage.

"Oh! Oh yeah, I got a tail too. Lots of Uskarians do." Stigr took a sip of his drink. "Wolves, leopards, and even snow monkeys like me.”

Grievous watched as he sat down, taking an offered margarita. An audible 'ooo' left her as she took a taste. "It's so sweet."

"That's the peach flavor." Stigr shrugged. "Figured you'd like the more fruity flavors than the citrus, no offense, Ur."

"Citrus is not the only thing that tastes a little... bitter." Urboro winked at Muso who promptly turned red in the face.

"You have no filter."

"And you love me for it."

Grievous looked at Stigr with intrigued interest. "It's really nice to meet you Stigr. I'm Grievous. People seem to be calling me Grivy for short. You live in Hyrule for long?"

"Grievous is badass, but Grivy... I like that, it's cute. Both badass and cute." Stigr laughed. "I've been here for about five years now. I came to actually study the plants. I scout back in Uskar, but here, I study herbs that can be used for medicine so when I go back to Uskar one day, I can help plant the fields and grow them. So far, I've taken three trips with new plants."

"Everyone usually has a dual job in Uskar," Muso told Grivy. "Scout, farmer, blacksmith, fishermen, take your pick. Everyone has to learn a trade, but also how to survive."

"I was trained by the Kikai Empire to be a solider. Not good with melee weaponry, but I excelled in my studies of martial arts, ranged weaponry and tactics. They wanted me to become a General for a new generation. But I liked my freedom too much to be tied down. That's the badass part of me." For the briefest of moments, she looked at Stigr with the light glow of a beautiful fairy with the smile she flashed him. "You think I'm cute though?"

"Well, you got to do something that makes you happy, otherwise, you're going to be miserable. That's no way to go through life." Stigr then laughed and asked, "Is that a trick question? Of course you're cute."

"Flirt alert." Urboro coughed under her breath.

"Oh, shut up."

Under the table, he felt his tail be stroked by hers. It was hard to tell by her face if she did it on purpose. "You know, I'm going to be staying in Hyrule more permanently, so I'm not leaving any time soon."

"Should we get you two a room?" Muso asked his friend.

"Well, she's currently sharing my elder sister's bedroom, so yes, they should get a room," Urboro hinted to Grivy. "Because if she brought him back, Dad would blow a fuse. Literally. You should have seen him when I brought Muso home."

"That bad?" Stigr asked with a snicker.

"Let's just say I was worried my ass was going to have third degree burns."

"Let's leave the two flirty-birdies to themselves for a bit." Urboro leaned over to whisper to Grivy. "He's a good one, don't worry. And I slipped a condom in your back pocket, for the love of the spirits, use it cause you don't need a mini-monkey right now."

The hell was a condom? Grievous didn't give it much thought. The Dal waved goodbye to her sister. "You two have fun."

Now more alone with Stigr, she leaned a little more over the table. "I don't have experience with this sort of thing, but I like to follow my instincts. What do you want to do now? This is a real sweet drink by the way."

"Experience with darts and drinking or with flirting?" Stigr inquired, using his tail to brush up and down Grivy's own. "Look, I usually don't do the whole bar and one-night stand thing, but a good time I'd never turn down as long as you're up to continuing a relationship. My mother will give me hell if I don't settle down at some point. Want to get out of here and walk and talk?"

"Flirting. And yes. I think a walk is a good start." As they got up, she took his hand. He was nice and sturdy to lean against. What felt far nicer was when she wrapped his tail around his. God, her tail rubbing against his thicker fur was incredible to her nerves. "You got a lot of family back home?"

"... three, incredibly annoying, baby sisters." Stigr nearly purred when her tail ran over his. It had been a long while since he had a female in his bed. Though, he was attempting to be a gentleman. Only if she showed interest, then he'd go forth with it. And thus far, she was showing quite a bit of interest... in his tail. His weak spot. He led her along the path, leading by the beautiful flowers illuminated by moonlight. "My parents actually talked about never having kids but look what happened. Ironic, isn't it?"

“You want irony? Thanks to my father, I’m one of over six-hundred half children of his. Urboro and my half siblings on her side are new additions to me I only discovered last month when my curiosity led me to track down the old man. Before you ask, it’s very complicated, but I don’t think when he met Zizi he planned on having so many kids too.” Grievous did indeed notice the flowers. The tail rubbing started to get her heated, but she kept it to herself rather well. She certainly picked up his purring though.

"By Rotar, I'd hate to be at that family reunion. Could you imagine trying to know all the names?" Stigr jested in good humor. "Though, from what Ur says, you're happier here. You're even trying to learn a trade, and helping out on the plantations when you can." He decided to test the waters, per se, and ran his hand down her back, settling at the base of her tail. "And that you're good with your... hands..."

Grievous paused, her trademark serious coming through. If they wanted to continue, she had to know how willing he’d be to commitment. “Are you willing to be committed to be in a serious relationship?”

"...? Yes?" Stigr thought she was trying to once again, ask him a trick question. "I don't know much about Dal culture to be honest. Though in Uskarian culture, there is a time of courtship, the presentation of a ceremonial cloak, and then eventually marriage. Although, Vidar and Princess Kanisa sort of did things... well, backwards."

“You take me too seriously. My fault I suppose. To be simpler, you looking for a girlfriend you’d treat fairly?”

"Heh, nothing wrong with being serious. Be serious, get a serious answer." Stigr replied with a bit of cheek to his tone, grinning from ear to ear. "Treat fairly, with respect, seen as equals... except just one thing."

“What would that be?” Grievous pulled herself closer.

"I get to do the ass slapping." With a hard smack, Stigr gave Grivy's backside a smack and then hopped into the nearest tree with a smirk. With snow monkeys, this was a game of tag. Yet, it was definitely used to spice up the mood. Not only tag, but a game of prey and predator. "Catch me if you can, Grivy." Then he bounded through the trees.

Grievous was so ready to pounce him on the spot had he not bounded off. Now, being offered a challenge, she suddenly became less horny and more competitive. Did dates in Hyrule or Uskar turn into hunts? So be it. She’d catch him no matter what. “You’re mine.”

She sprinted up the tree best she could. These tight clothes made her ass shine like a beacon in the night as she limberly chased after him. Her own tail helped her grip branches as she sought him, leaping from tree to tree under the moonlight. Working up a bit of sweat, she gave it all to catch him with one last pounce. “Got ya!”

When Grivy pounced on him, Stigr turned to catch her. Rookie mistake, he anticipated that. He grabbed her by the hips, spun her around, and pinned her against the tree with a loud purr, flicking his tail.

"Now who has who?"

With her arms pinned, a flash of attraction flashed in her eyes. Using her tail, she pulled him close, and leaned up to kiss him with a deep purr. “I got you.”

"Sneaky one, aren't you?" Stigr chuckled and then returned the kiss with enthusiasm. He then started a trail of kisses down her throat, before nibbling over her jugular vein. His tail ran curled between her legs, rubbing against her womanhood.

With no panties, and the tight silk pants offering little room between her womanhood and tail, Grievous started to pant. Her tail whipped around erotically, anticipating more. “Do Direnor or people of Hyrule tend to go to those lengths outside? I’m not saying to stop, but...”

"Hylians? Nah. Direnors? We fuck outside when mating season roles around or even for fun." Stigr told Grivy with a low growl, smelling her arousal. "Even got a Pleasure House where you can choose your partner or partners for the night."

“Oh. Good. Us Dal love to make love be it in the trees, by the beach, or mountain top.” Her hands grasped his shoulders, her tail pulling his own. “Do you want to fuck me? I’m ok with it Stigr.”

"I'd like to... but only if you're sure." Stigr reminded Grivy. "Direnors can be... a little rough. Don't want to spook you or scare you off."

“I don’t see anything to be scared of.” She leaned up to kiss him again. Be confident, just like Urboro said. That saying no at anytime was allowed. “I’d like to too.”

"Then how would you like to begin?" Stigr asked Grivy as he ran his hands down her sides. "You're beautiful, you got a sexy body, and seems like you got a sweet personality... even if you did brutally beat those guys in darts without a sense of remorse. That was hot."

“I also threw a beer bottle without looking from across the room at some sleezeballs head with my tail.” Her hand went to his bulge, grasping it with a firm grip. Was big. Urboro said it might be. “How’s that for a start?”

"Would be impressive if next time you just caught his ass on fire with a wink." Stigr jolted when she grabbed his crotch, but her touch was not unwelcome. "I guess you know how excited you make me. It's not everyday that you see a female that's so sure of herself. And that's why," His fingers slipped into her tight leather pants, pulling them down to her ankles. "I think you need a bit of a... skilled touch to please." Nudging her legs apart, he had her standing, leaning against the tree, while he proceeded to lap at her folds.

Grievous raised her hands above her head, trembling as Stigr started to lick at her bright pinkness. She felt so loved. This was attention she never dared to dream was possible. “Oh, oh wow.”

She approved of his oral technique. So, Stigr decided to take it a step further. While his tongue was occupied with her folds, his tail teasingly rubbed over her clit. His fingers then gently teased her opening, inserting one, then another, doing a scissor-like motion inside of her.

Grievous in turn gripped his skull, tightly holding on for support. Her body was so hot, that she felt bolts of pleasure rush to her head. “Oh Stigr. That’s amazing~”

The small bit of pressure to his skull only turned his on further. Stigr did not mind a bit of roughness. Though, would she like it? Just to test the waters, he gave a hard slap on her ass, at the same time he flicked her clit.

“Oh GOD!” She crushed a little harder, her hips bulking towards him to stuff him further.

"Hrmmm, I'll take that as a compliment," Stigr said cheekily as he gave a long, slow, teasing lick to her clit, just to see her shiver. "But I'm no deity.

The girl took a few moments to breath and calm her nerves. Was hard when her stomach felt so tight from pleasure. “What next? Do I pleasure you?”

"I honestly don't think I'd last overly long if you did." Stigr chuckled, being honest. "I was already turned on while watching you do your thing."

“I want to try.” Grievous got on her knees, kissing down his chest per instruction from her sister. Grabbing his pants and underwear, she pulled them both down. Her eyes were suddenly glued by his appendage.

The longer Grievous stared, the more Stigr wondered if something was wrong. She was looking at his erection like it was something... new. Wait a minute...

"... Grivy, you have seen one of these before, right?"

“Yes. I just... never this close to me.” Her hands steadily grasped his erection. Without giving into any more hesitation, her lips clomped down around his tip. It was a little salty, but she started to lick and suckle it. Show no fear in the face of the unknown her instructors echoed in her mind. They probably didn’t plan for her to use their advice for this scenario though.

"Wait, are you a---fuuuuccck..." Stigr took a sharp inhale when Grievous was suddenly so eager to please, but he had to know. "Wait, wait, wait, fuck, that feels great, but there is a concern," He gently pushed her shoulders back. "You haven't had sex before, have you?"

“No. You’re my first.”

"That's what I thought... not that it's a problem!" Stigr quickly said. "Everyone always has a first, I just... well... I don't want to cause you anymore discomfort than necessary. Maybe you should let me make you cum first a couple of times. Get you more relaxed."

“I thought that’s what I was doing.” Grievous leaned in again. This time, when she sucked him off again, not only did she dare to go deeper with him down her throat, she pulled and massaged his tail with a sneaky hand. Her lips sucked down tightly over the pull of his dick.

"SHIT!" Stigr was not expecting the sudden grope of his tail, the pleasure going straight up his spine and to his head. He climaxed suddenly, shaking from head to toe. "Sorry, I... good Rotar, you have a tongue, but my tail is sensitive. I should have warned you."

Grievous wasn’t quick enough, or really knowing what to expect. She chocked a little as he pulled out, her face becoming drenched in cum. Swallowing what she could, the Waku gave him a smile as she stood up. “It’s ok. Little startling, but I’m fine.”

Carefully, she took off her top, leaving her pants hanging far down low so she could stretch her legs. The spring night of Hyrule was warm, but even if it wasn’t her naturally hot body kept her warm. Turning, she leaned against the tree, sticking her thick ass at him. With a turn of her head, she still had some cum on her face she was licking and swallowing. Her instincts told her this would drive him wild. The art of the tease could undermine your opponent to falling right into one’s hands. “It’s ok to be sensitive. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

"Nope... not at all..."

Her licking the cum was hot. Her suddenly undressing was like a strip tease. But the presenting of her ass? Now, that he was not expecting. Stigr felt his member twitch back to life again, just seeing her round, supple backside, waving at him. A primal sort of need started stirring within him. His animalistic side was starting to show a bit, more fur sprouting on his body in places. Though, he did want to savor this moment, just for a little bit.

Stigr ran his hands over her ass, cupping the thick cheeks there. He loved how aroused she smelled, loved the scent of his cum on her, and loved how forward she was being. A female who definitely knew what she wanted and how to get it... that, he adored.

Purring, Stigr placed kisses along her spine before giving her backside a little nip. Then, he lined up his cock between her legs, rubbing his length back and forth across her folds. Teasing.

Grievous growled, her hands clawing the tree for support. Her tail couldn’t stop whipping around, every once in a while, hitting his chest lightly as a signal to stop messing around.

"Impatient, are we?" Stigr wrapped his tail around hers. While he was eager, and so was she, it was best to take things slow the first time. Lining up his member with her entrance, Stigr pushed inside, reveling how hot she was, how her inner walls were gripping him. To distract her from any pain, he made sure one hand cupped her breast while the other was busy with her clit.

“Oh, oh, oh, oh goodness.” Grievous gripped the tree with her arms, holding on tightly as Stigr broke her virginity. Everything felt tight, like her body was breaking open. When he tugged at her tail, her walls only closed tighter. “I’m sensitive at my tail.”

"Good." Stigr whispered huskily into her ear, giving a hard thrust inside and at the same time, giving her backside another harsh slap. His tail rubbed against hers, curling. He recalled how she reacted when he gave her a spanking. Maybe there was a fetish there to explore later. Though, for now, Stigr wanted Grivy to feel something new... something blissful with this experience. He kept a steady pace, trying to listen to her body for what she liked.

Grievous was panting badly every time her tail was tugged or her ass was slapped. Soon enough into the experience, her body was molded around the shape of his dick, and she started to push back into him. “M-more. It feels like nothing I’ve felt before.”

"I'll make you feel even better." Stigr could sense her was getting close by the way she was trembling. Her body was not used to the sensations. While Grivy was panting hard, she was enjoying the stimulation. He could feel her pressing back into him, even demanding more. In sync with his thrusts, Grivy used one finger to flick her clit, sending a jolt throughout her body. "Don't hold back... just let go."

Grievous screamed loudly, a primal sense of freedom roaring, demanding to be let out. Her inexperienced body gave into Stigr’s command, and clamping hard with her pussy, she had her first orgasm. “Stigr! Yes! Oh god!” Her tail wrapped around his arm, tightening to find a sense of grounded reality.

Gripping her hips tightly, Stigr gave one thrust, then two, and climaxed, hard. His tail curled around her leg. He was breathing hard, having to hold onto Grivy's hips to make sure he did not crumple. This woman was definitely something else.

"You are divine..."

Grievous moaned loudly as he climaxed in her. As cum pumped into her, her hands made burns on the tree she held, black charcoal signifying her loss of virginity. “Stigr... you... that was amazing. Are all dates this amazing?”

"All dates can be this amazing." Stigr gave her a playful nip on the ear. Carefully, he removed his cock and fixed his pants. Then he helped Grivy with her pants and her top. "Heh, and I'd like to think I'm amazing, but you're probably just going to inflate my ego more. You're the one that wowed me."

“Does this mean you want to be my boyfriend?” Grievous blushed at the feeling of his cum staining her sisters clothing. Surely Urboro wouldn’t mind.

"Only if you want me to be. I mean... it's hard to find someone who is willing to date me." Stigr admitted to Grivy honestly. "I had to go back and forth a lot for my job. Sometimes for a month or two at a time. It's not ideal, I know, but I understand if you say no."

“That wasn’t what I asked you.” Grievous suddenly had a very commanding tone. “I like you. I feel a connection, and not just because you were a good fuck. I asked you a question I want you to answer. Do you want to be my boyfriend? Because I want to be your girlfriend. Unless you think that a one night stand was all you can handle.” Her tail smacked the tree, breaking a splinter off.

"... demanding, are you? How's this for an answer?" Stigr quirked an eyebrow at Grievous, tilting her chin up to look at him. "I would like to be your boyfriend as you put it. You're an interesting female, Grivy, just like your sister said. I'm glad she had the ideal to set us up."

“I’m glad to have met you.” Grievous wrapped her arms around him, giving him a warm hug. “Can I stay at your place tonight?”

"I... don't have a place of my own yet." Stigr admitted with a frustrated groan, "I'm bunking with Muso and a few of his friends. We wouldn't be alone." He tried to think of what Urboro said about her family. "Wait... does your mom---I mean, your stepmom still have that treehouse?"

“Yes. We can stay there. I’ll keep you warm.”

~

The next morning, Grievous woke up laying on top of Stigr. She lulled him to sleep with one more session of sex. This time, she did something he referred to as ‘cowgirl’ position. Was very fun, if a little physically demanding. When he started to stir, Grievous moved her thick hair out of her face. Her bed hair was wicked crazy. “Morning there.”

"Hmm, hmm..." Stigr was not a morning person and groggily looked at his surroundings. "... either I'm still dreaming or I got a hot babe on top of me."

“It’s the latter.” She kissed his forehead, letting him get one last look at her bare body before bending over to get changed. “I have to go back home, but you’ll come by my house soon for another date? I’ll play darts with you.”

"Sure, I promised Muso I'd help him with some new orders today, but... oh fuck." Stigr then realized it was indeed morning and jumped to his feet, fixing his pants and hopping around. "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, he's going to kick my ass, I promised I'd be there." He nearly tripped over his own tail trying to hurry. "I had the best time, you're great, the sex was great, I swear to Rotar I'll come by tonight and take you out for this new dish called Piz-Zah, you're amazing, I got to go!" He gave her a kiss on the cheek before hopping out of the treehouse, calling after her. "See you later, Grivy!"

Grievous smiled softly, waving him goodbye. A hand to her cheek, she sighed dreamingly. The Dal didn’t want this floaty feeling in her chest to go away. Making sure she was cleaned up, Grievous went back to her residence. Soon enough after having shower, getting changed, and cooking herself toast, Urboro came through the door. All Grievous had to do was give her a mischievous grin.

Urboro stopped. She stared. She sniffed. Then she gasped with a high squeal of delight.

"You... got... laid!!!!" She did a little happy dance in place. "Hell yeah! My matchmaking worked!" She then pulled Grivy over to the dining table. "You got to tell me all the details, was he good? Did he treat you nicely?"

“He did. He treated me so well.” Grievous set her dish down, ready to get into all the details. “First, we went on a romantic walk together. Afterwards, he swatted my ass and we chased each other through the trees until he caught me as I lunged at him. With that he pinned me against a tree and we kissed deeply. Afterwards, I went with my feelings and made all the motions like you said I should to get him riled up. Along with some of my own moves. After that...” Grievous paused, giddy at the memory. These girly emotions were so new to her. “He went low and licked me deeply. Then I went down on him orally in return!”

"Damn, you move fast." Urboro's eyes were literally sparkling as Grivy relayed the intimate details. "I'm glad Stigr was good to you and it seemed like you got a good dose of pleasure. Though, the most important question remains!" She took a sharp inhale and then blurted out. "Did he have a big dick?"

“He had a dick this big.” Grievous stretched her hands from one another to emphasize size. “I got him to blow his sticky load into my mouth by pulling his tail. Seems we’re both sensitive with them. Afterwards, I turned my ass for him, and holding onto a tree, he fucked me. He fucked me so hard.”

"I caught him staring at your ass, I'm surprised he didn't try to mark his territory by leaving a bite mark on it." Urboro giggled and then added, "And are you going to see him again? Not too bad for your sister setting you up with one of her man's friends, hrm?"

“Oh yes. I got him to become my boyfriend. Oh Urboro, it was so magical. Thank you so much for your part. The feeling of him pounding into me, his sticky load filling me up, his kisses and bites on my back.” Grievous took the condom out of her pocket, handing it back. “Your good luck charm worked it’s magic. After making love at outside, we went another at the tree house and slept together. I never felt so alive and happy being so close with another.”

"....?!?!" Urboro looked at the 'good luck charm' and then seemed a little pale in the face. Wait, she should not rush to assumptions. Maybe Stigr used one. Or maybe he smelled that she was not in heat, couldn't get pregnant. She knew Direnors could do that. "Uh... why didn't you use this?"

“Use what?” Grievous looked at her older sister with growing curiosity. “You look like you just threw up. Did the alcohol get to you last night?”

"This is to... like go over the dick. To prevent uh... pregnancy." Urboro felt her mouth go a little dry. "Didn't your people use these?"

Once more, Grievous shook her head. She’d never seen that rubber object before. “No. Everyone knows that you can only get pregnant with an injection. It was how I was born.”

"... you can get pregnant by sex too." Urboro swallowed. Hard. "Grivy, forgive this stupid question, but you do know that sex is for reproducing right?"

Grievous blinked. Hard. Grabbing some water, she sat in stunned silence as she took a drink. “This means that I... oh no.”

"Let's not jump to conclusions!" Urboro said quickly, trying to reassure her sister. "Stigr probably wouldn't have had sex with you if he could smell that you were in heat. I mean, Direnors have very sensitive noises that way. And just for good measure, take this," She went over to her bag and pulled out a small bag of leaves. "Eat this. It prevents pregnancy. I take it everyday. Never know when the urge for a good dicking will hit you."

“He promised to come by again tonight.” Grievous quickly devoured a leaf as fast as was allowed.

"Okay, well, until then, let's just go over some basic sex education that I had no idea that you lacked." Urboro flopped down on her chair and groaned. "Sorry, Grivy, I'm such an idiot. I thought you knew since you knew what sex was. I shouldn't have assumed like that."

“It was still a fun night regardless.”

"Well... I guess as long as you're happy, that's what is most important." Urboro gave Grivy a small smile. "Just wait until you see his other form. He's white as snow with a little brown stripe down his back, and brown on his belly."

“Other form? Does it make for a better lover?”

"That I don't know. But his other form is a giant monkey. He's so poofy." Urboro snickered. "Looks like a Munja had a field day with his fur."

“Poofy like me?” Grievous pointed at her hair. “I’d like to see that. Hey Urboro?”

"Heh, maybe if you ask nicely enough, he'll do so." Urboro looked up at Grivy. "Yeah, sis?"

“I don’t think I’d have any luck on my own without you. Never imagined I was pretty enough to find a companion. Thank you for being a spectacular sister.”

"You had all the right pieces, Grivy, you just needed someone to help you put them together." Urboro grinned. "And anything for family."

#Eighteen Plus Content #Crossover #ridersoftheapocalypse #Grievous #Stigr #Urboro #Zizi family #Birds and the Bees