Alien Notions 3
Mahrayne'd spent an excruciatingly boring night in the Hassinan suite, the only real interest being listening to the discussion on the treaty talks. She was quietly irritated by the Lead-Speaker's conviction that the Saiyans weren't being entirely honest with them. Huh! It wasn't as if they were being entirely honest with the Saiyans either. The negotiations were almost over, however, and the other delegates were eagerly anticipating going home. Mahrayne was ambivalent about that. Getting back to her sisters would be lovely, but... she wouldn't have minded if they'd had to stay a bit longer; she'd like some more time with the hostlings... and Leteetza... and Kelapa.
Mahrayne escaped to the R'ren'nkh'ian suite as early as possible the next morning.
When she got there, she couldn't fail to notice the change in Leteetza. The little Saiyan was crackling with energy and anticipation.
"Mahrayne!" Leteetza had beamed at her, a broad, sharp-toothed, scary Saiyan grin. "Would you like to come hunting?"
Mahrayne was about to decline, but Leteetza's enthusiasm was infectious, and it'd been an age since she'd done any hunting, as opposed to merely food-gathering.
"Yes. Thank you." she found herself saying.
Leteetza was regarding her critically. "You'll need to wear something other than those robes, they're not very practical." She picked up a dark-blue bodysuit. "Put this on."
"It's a bit revealing." Mahrayne said doubtfully. Revealing? It left nothing to the imagination, but Mahrayne took the garment and went into the bathroom to change; the little female's tail was almost snapping from side to side, she obviously wasn't going to brook any arguments today.
Mahrayne looked at herself in the bathroom's mirrorwall. She wasn't sure how, but the body-suit had stretched to comfortably fit her, moulding to her body like a second skin. Her fingertips traced lightly over her chest beads, she could feel them quite clearly through the material. Mahrayne ran the palms of her hands smoothly down her flanks and over her hips, exploring the sensation of almost being able to feel her skin. Having her body outlined and displayed like this while still being covered was vaguely... erotic? She stretched, marvelling at the range of movement the garment afforded her. Definite potential here. She wondered if she could find out how they were made - maybe take some of the material back with her?
Leteetza poked her head around the door. "Are you ready?"
Mahrayne stood there a little self-consciously, and Leteetza smirked.
"You should wear that more often."
They briskly said goodbye to the hostlings and adults, before Leteetza hustled her out onto the balcony. "We're waiting for a couple of others to join us." she said. Mahrayne was quite happy to be out here; she'd been getting a little uncomfortable under Hijau's frankly appreciative appraisal.
Two figures were approaching, flying in from the direction of the barracks. Leteetza squinted at them, then swore viciously.
"Oh fuck, not him." she said through gritted teeth.
"Who?"
The Saiyan sighed irritably. "Vejiita insisted we take two guards with us today. I knew one would be Kelapa, but I was hoping the other would be someone reasonable." she growled. "I wonder about His Majesty's sense of humour sometimes."
The two Saiyans landed on the balcony. One was, indeed, Kelapa; she had something long and curved slung over her back, and she looked just as irritated as Leteetza.
"He's coming too." She jerked her head at the male standing to one side.
'He' was a large, broad-shouldered warrior; taller than Hijau, shorter than Radittsu. His black mane was shaggy and spiked wildly all over the place. He stood there, feet apart, arms folded across his chest, looking nothing short of disgusted.
"Problem, Zorun?" Leteetza snapped coldly.
"If it's any consolation," he growled, "I'd rather be somewhere else too."
Leteetza glared up at him. "You can guard - we will hunt."
Mahrayne sidled closer to the small female. This Zorun was intimidating, and while she wasn't exactly scared of him - not with Leteetza and Kelapa there anyway - she was wary, sensing the potential violence he was doing a poor job of concealing.
"I'm going to need a knife or something, Leteetza," Mahrayne willed herself to speak calmly, "I didn't bring any with me to Vejiitasei."
"I've got one you can use." Kelapa said, baring her teeth at the male when his lip curled back in a sneer. "Back in a moment." She streaked off towards the barracks.
"How do you hunt on Hassina?" Leteetza turned her back on the male, ignoring him.
"Me? My hunting usually consists of digging animals out of their burrows, or fishing small things out of the lake. The hunters use spears and swords, though, when they go after the big animals."
Leteetza cocked her head to one side, blinking her surprise. "You have a special group of people who hunt?"
"Yes. Some of the animals are very dangerous. Hunters have to be fast, and strong, and well-trained to bring them down."
"Can females become hunters?"
"It's one of the areas where the sexes can overlap, and if a child shows a talent or a skill for something, that's what they'll be trained for."
"You've mentioned some big things that live in the underground lakes? How big are they?"
Mahrayne frowned, calculating the size. "The biggest I've seen brought in would've been as long as the length of the entire suite," she pointed in past the balcony doors, "and about half as wide."
Leteetza's eyes were wide. "That's big." she whistled.
"They are. And strong, and mostly tireless. That particular one took several days to bring in. But they're worth it, they're delicious, and their skin makes a very fine, soft, almost see-through leather."
Kelapa alighted back on the balcony then, and handed Mahrayne a knife in a red-leather sheath. Mahrayne unsheathed the knife. It was quite plain; the blade was curved, and sharp, but the hilt was wood, rare and precious on Hassina. Mahrayne was entranced with the patterns she could discern in the polished grain.
"This is beautiful!" she said, angling the hilt to catch the light.
"Keep it." Kelapa grinned.
Mahrayne smiled at the warrior and touched the knife's hilt to her own forehead.
"Thank you."
Kelapa had thoughtfully provided a long strip of dressed leather so Mahrayne could wear the knife at her waist. The Hassinan was flushed with pleasure at the gift.
"Kelapa, could you carry Mahrayne?" Leteetza asked.
The female warrior smirked.
"Gladly." She scooped Mahrayne up easily and Mahrayne wrapped her arms around the tall female's neck and snuggled in.
"Let's go." Leteetza grinned at them, eyes gleaming, and launched herself skywards.
Leteetza led the way; Mahrayne and Kelapa following in her wake, with Zorun in the rear. Mahrayne was enjoying the ride. She was revelling in the wind whipping past her, leaning her face into it. Without realising, she was keening with pleasure, a high-pitched thrum that transferred through to Kelapa's body.
"Let go of my neck." Kelapa leant close and spoke loudly over the wind. Mahrayne hesitated, but she let go.
"Don't worry," Kelapa smirked, "I'm not going to drop you." Kelapa kissed the corner of her mouth, then deftly flipped Mahrayne around until she was slung underneath the warrior's body, Kel holding her securely around her ribs and hips. Mahrayne laughed delightedly when she realised what the female had done; she was giving her the illusion of flying on her own! Mahrayne stretched out her arms in front of her, feeling the wind through her fingers and against her palms. Just marvelous! She watched the terrain flash by far below, a blur of grays and whites with the occasional splash of other, earthy colours. Flying was a very enjoyable mode of transport, especially with Kelapa's hands moving occasionally to brush over her breasts and groin. Much to Kel's amusement, Mahrayne began keening again.
Too soon, they landed at the edge of a lightly forested area. Kelapa put Mahrayne down onto slightly wobbly legs, keeping an arm about her waist, supporting her until Mahrayne got her 'ground-legs' back.
"I'll see what I can spot." Leteetza said, shooting up into the air again.
Kelapa unslung the curved thing from her back. It was made of wood and had a stiff string strung tautly between the ends. She was also carrying a leather holder of some sort that was full of fine, smooth sticks with tufts of something on the ends.
"What is that?" Mahrayne asked.
"A bow, and these - " Kelapa reached back over her shoulder to the holder, and pulled one of the sticks out, " - are arrows. They're an old weapon that's still used on some systems. Very good for hunting." She grinned. "I like these ancient weapons. Takes a lot of skill to use 'em - they're quiet and precise, not clumsy like a ki-blast."
Kelapa smirked maliciously at Zorun's contemptuous snort.
The arrows were tipped with sharp metal points, and of course Mahrayne nicked her finger on one when she investigated it. The blood welled up brightly and Kelapa grabbed her hand.
"I'll deal with that." the warrior said huskily then slowly licked the blood from Mahrayne's finger, her eyes liquidly dark.
"You're still bleeding?" she said after a moment when the trickle of blood had slowed, but not stopped. Mahrayne nodded, mesmerised by the sight of Kelapa's tongue flicking out and curling around her fingertip. "But you can keep doing that if you like. I'm sure it's helping." Kelapa grinned wickedly and sucked Mahrayne's finger into her mouth, her tongue swirling and circling the tip reminiscent of something Mahrayne had shown her yesterday. Mahrayne's pupils dilated and she moved in close to the warrior. There was a loud, disgusted sound from behind them.
Kelapa pulled back, scowled and snarled at the male. "Fuck off, Zorun."
Leteetza dropped back down, looking pleased. If the little female noticed the tension between Kelapa and Zorun, she didn't mention it.
"There's a couple of large wild pigs a short distance in." She gestured with her hand. "Let's go."
The group moved quietly into the forest. Mahrayne, the least experienced by far, trailed behind the other females. She knew she was making the most noise so she watched the way the Saiyans moved and tried to imitate them. Zorun was walking level with her and glowered at her when she accidentally snapped a twig. Mahrayne flushed, annoyed; she was trying, dammit.
Leteetza froze. In front of them were two large, squat animals, each with a pair of wicked horns on their heads, snorting and pawing through the snow to find food. Leteetza grinned ferally.
"I'll take the larger one." she murmured.
"How come you get the larger one?" Kelapa murmured back.
Leteetza looked at her. "Do you want to fight for it?"
Kelapa smirked. "No thanks, I'd like to get home in one piece."
"Watch this." Kelapa told Mahrayne quietly. She positioned an arrow, somehow, through the mid-line of the bow, and brought the weapon up near her face. One hand held the bow steady, while her other hand pulled the string back past her ear. For a fraction of time Kelapa paused, tensed and poised, then suddenly she released the string and the arrow shot away from the bow with a low whistle, embedding deeply in the neck of the smaller creature. The animal squealed in fright and took off, startling the larger one into movement; the animals plunged off in different directions.
A flash of colour and light streaked away from Leteetza, and scraped over the hind-quarters of the larger creature, forcing it to change direction. Kelapa let out a whoop and took off after her target, stretching out into a run; Leteetza took to the air to follow hers. After a moment's hesitation, Mahrayne followed Kelapa, using her long legs to advantage, leaping lightly over obstructions on the ground. She had no trouble keeping the Saiyan in sight, despite the warrior's speed, knowing that she could run for hours if necessary without tiring. Then she caught an almost imperceptible flash of movement out of the corner of her eye, and, responding unthinkingly to a primal urge, peeled away from Kelapa's path to follow it.
It was a different creature, much smaller than the pigs, with long legs and a thick, mottled grey coat that made it difficult to spot. And it was fast! And manoeuvrable, dodging from side to side trying to avoid her pursuit. Mahrayne laughed exultantly; she was enjoying herself, enjoying the chance to really use her body for a change. The creature continued to dodge wildly - then it suddenly disappeared. Mahrayne just caught sight of the animal before it vanished down an ill-defined hole in the ground. She threw herself forward in a bone-jarring lunge and grasped a couple of handfuls of furry haunch. She hung on, supplely twisting herself around so she could get some purchase against the ground while she pulled the animal out of its sanctuary. It was a strong little thing, fuelled by desperation, and she had to work hard to maintain a grip. She discovered the hard way that the claws on its back legs were razor sharp, and she almost let it go when it twisted around and sank long, yellow teeth into her hand. It was an uneven battle though, one determined Hassinan against a rather small and tiring animal. With a yell of triumph, Mahrayne hauled the furry, kicking thing all the way out of the hole. Its neck was too thick for her to get her hands around for a quick kill, so, concentrating hard, Mahrayne used her body weight to pin the creature to the ground while she unsheathed the knife at her waist.
Underneath the fur, the animal'd had thick skin, and it had taken some effort to push the knife into its throat. Mahrayne grinned. Not a clean kill, but a kill nonetheless.
It was an interesting creature. About as long as her forearm and heavy for its size. It had
a blunt, wedge-shaped head with small, rounded ears. She pried its mouth open to look at those teeth - what did it eat? She was feeling very pleased with herself - but it occurred to her how quiet it was. Where were the others? A little apprehensive, she hefted the dead weight of her kill and set off in the direction she thought they were.
She'd come further than she thought, and it was quite a few minutes before she walked into the clearing where the chase had begun. Kelapa was there, a pig carcass at her feet, arguing with Zorun.
"You are the one on guard, you should've been watching!" she heard Kelapa yell before the warrior spotted her.
"Mahrayne! Where did you get to?" Kelapa exclaimed. "We were just about to come looking for you. Couldn't you keep up?"
Mahrayne grinned and held up her kill. "I got side-tracked." Kelapa looked relieved - and impressed.
"A grittig! They're fast, how did you catch it?"
"More luck than skill, it dodged the wrong way and I grabbed it before it could go down a hole." Mahrayne laughed.
"You're hurt!" Kelapa picked up her hand and examined the bite wound.
"The stupid thing bit me - "
"You shouldn't have run off like that!" Zorun growled, cutting her off. "You could've been lost, baka!"
Mahrayne's lips compressed. She knew what the word 'baka' meant; there weren't many things got her annoyed, but having her intelligence questioned was one of them.
"Lost?" she snorted. " I doubt it. Vejiitamachi's that way, yes?" she pointed her arm, and watched with satisfaction as Zorun's face hardened when got his bearings and realised she was right.
Leteetza flew down into the clearing with her catch over her shoulders.
"What's going on?" she demanded, dropping the dead pig on the ground. Kelapa answered.
"I thought Mahrayne was missing, and I'm challenging this big shit's decision to not go after her!" Leteetza turned to Zorun and coolly waited for his explanation.
"My first duty is the protection of the... King's Companion. That was where my attention was. You - " he glared at the little female, " - for some reason that escapes me, are important to the King, and I think he'd rather lose some alien baita than you!"
Without warning, a bolt of light shot out of Leteetza's hand and impacted with the big male, sending him flying backwards.
"Don't presume to know the King's mind." Leteetza said coldly as Zorun struggled up. Mahrayne watched Leteetza tense, was she was expecting him to fight back? He couldn't be that stupid, could he?
He wasn't. Zorun did nothing except direct a look that could melt rock at the small female.
"And what do you have to say?" Leteetza whipped round and demanded of Mahrayne.
"I'm sorry." Mahrayne was smoothly, though genuinely, contrite; she was used to making apologies for her impulsiveness. "I didn't think, I just took off after my own animal."
"Did you get it?" Leteetza asked her with a half-smile.
"She did," Kelapa stepped in. "A grittig. Nice big one."
The mood between the three females lightened dramatically as they set about butchering their kills. The little Saiyan didn't seem to be too angry with her, Mahrayne thought, but she was angry and miserable with herself for not thinking, again, and causing a problem.
But her natural curiosity took over as she worked her knife, pushing her remorse to the back of her mind. The animal's internal organs were very different to what she was used to seeing, and to her surprise Mahrayne discovered the Saiyans could drink the animals' blood.
"No no, it's the best bit!" Leteetza had said when Mahrayne queried the practise. "Here..."
She caught some of the blood from one of the pigs in the palm of her hand and offered it to Mahrayne. "Taste." Mahrayne sniffed sceptically at the thick liquid, then touched her tongue to it.
"It's sweet!" she said in surprise, then held Leteetza's hand steady while she lapped up the rest. "We have to drain the blood from our animals, or it can make us sick." Mahrayne explained.
They worked neatly together. Mahrayne skilfully skinned her catch, automatically packing the fatty side of the skin with snow and rolling it up to preserve it long enough for tanning. The animal wasn't all that big, they'd be better off eating it here, she thought. She sliced a thick portion of meat from the creatures spine and handed it to Leteetza.
"Here." she said shyly. Leteetza took the meat, and chewed it contentedly. Mahrayne cut another slice and handed it to Kelapa, who grinned and stuffed it in her mouth. Mahrayne cut a third slice, and hesitated. To not share your kill was unthinkably rude, even if you didn't like someone; centuries of survival programming - if you have food you share it - eventually overrode her fearful dislike of the Saiyan male.
Mahrayne walked over to Zorun, standing expressionlessly to one side, and wordlessly held out the meat to him. She half-expected him to throw it back at her, but after a moment's hesitation he impassively took the strip of meat from her hand. Mahrayne turned around quickly, not wanting to see if he threw the food away, and rejoined the females.
"Why did you do that?" Kelapa quietly demanded.
Mahrayne had been wondering that herself, but she sniffed in a superior way.
"Because I'm civilised."
Kelapa smirked.
"That so?" she murmured. "So what you were doing yesterday was civilised behaviour, was it? You'll have to show me some more..."
They ate. They feasted on the warm, sweet meat, stripping the grittig completely and making a sizeable dent in one of the pigs. Zorun deigned to eat, at Leteetza's barely civil invitation, though he simply ripped a haunch off one of the pigs and went back to his position at the edge of the clearing.
Over the course of the meal, Mahrayne realised that Leteetza wasn't angry with her, she was angry with Zorun. She wondered why this Saiyan seemed to be particularly objectionable. Perhaps she could ask Leteetza, later.
"Let's get this lot back to the starving hordes." Leteetza said with a smirk when they were all stuffed full.
Zorun and Leteetza carried the remains of the meat home; Kelapa had her hands full of Hassinan. The flight back was leisurely, with none of the urgency they'd felt on the way out and Mahrayne was content to be held close to Kelapa's warm, strong body.
Back on the balcony, Leteetza turned to Zorun.
"Cut yourself some meat, then you may go."
The male hadn't uttered a word since his confrontation with the little female. He took a small portion of pig then nodded curtly to the Saiyan females. His eyes flicked over Mahrayne, and he took off.
Once Zorun was gone, Leteetza relaxed.
"Sorry about that, Mahrayne."
"Why are you apologising to me? It was my fault, wasn't it?"
"Not entirely. Zorun is - intolerant. I think he was just looking for an excuse to be unpleasant." Leteetza growled softly at her. "He did have a point though. You could have got lost!"
Mahrayne shook her head. "We Hassinan have an excellent sense of direction. It was very unlikely I'd get lost..." she grinned, "eaten by something maybe, but not lost."
The 'starving hordes' were very pleased with their lunch, being just as happy to see how the bits of pig fitted together as eating it.
Mahrayne grimaced at the encrusted filth coating her hands and under her fingernails.
"May I use your shower?" she asked Zha'haarak. The zn'hre inclined his head gracefully, and smiled, taking in Leteetza and Kelapa's disheveled appearance.
"I think you might all feel better for a wash..."
Mahrayne peeled off the bodysuit and reached behind her to unfasten the metal hair-bands.
"Let me do that." Leteetza said, unclipping the bands and taking the opportunity to stroke Mahrayne's neck. She gently touched the scratches on Mahrayne's shoulders.
"When did you get these?"
"Yesterday, on my 'walk'." Mahrayne grinned.
"They're not healed yet?" Kelapa asked, surprised, then grabbed her hand, poking at the grittig bite. "This hasn't closed either."
"Ow!" Mahrayne snatched her hand back before the warrior started the wound bleeding again. "It'll be a couple of days before they've healed."
"You don't heal very fast." Leteetza said critically, making her own examination of Mahrayne's hand.
"Or it could be that you heal too quickly." Mahrayne valiantly tried not to flinch.
"Hn. I've got a salve that should help." Leteetza ignored the winces elicited by her prodding. "I'll have someone fetch it for you after I've showered."
They quickly took turns in the shower unit, with the unspoken agreement that now was not the time for sex-play - although Leteetza did wistfully trail her fingertips, once, over Mahrayne's 'tail' beads.
"Let's see if there's any pig left." the little Saiyan said when they were all clean again; Mahrayne in her light robe, the warriors in fresh body-suits, Kelapa's borrowed from Leteetza.
"You can't be hungry again?" Mahrayne, who was still overfull from the feasting earlier, was aghast at the thought of wanting more to eat. The Saiyans nodded in unison.
"Flying takes a lot of energy." Leteetza said gravely.
"Not to mention the energy needed to cart great lumps of meat around." Kelapa added.
Mahrayne was puzzled. "But you weren't carrying any of the - oooh!" She lunged playfully at the taller female when she realised what she was implying. Kelapa laughed and dodged easily out of the way.
Shortly, the trio came back into the common room, and surveyed the remains of the meal.
"Well that didn't take long." Leteetza said grumpily, looking at the almost stripped carcasses and the several hostlings, and adults, gnawing on pig bones.
Mahrayne settled down, cross-legged on a floor-cushion next to Zha'haarak; Kelapa and Leteetza lounged comfortably nearby, strips of the remaining meat in hand . Zha'tiisaan immediately claimed Mahrayne's lap for his own, curling up with a full stomach and a contented sigh. She smiled softly down at him and stroked his hair, and for a few minutes there was a companionable silence.
"So, apart from the big fuckface having to be there," Kelapa asked her, "did you enjoy hunting?"
"I did!" Mahrayne tilted her head enquiringly. "You really don't like him, do you? Why?"
"Because he's rude, and arrogant, and intolerant, is why!"
Leteetza correctly interpreted the look on Mahrayne's face and scowled. "Zorun's worse than most Saiyans."
Mahrayne felt she could argue the point, but it wouldn't earn her any friends.
"What does 'baita' mean, by the way?"
"It means 'slut'." Leteetza growled. Mahrayne looked at her blankly.
"It means someone, generally female, who will have sex with anyone."
"Oh." Mahrayne considered. "Why is that bad?"
Leteetza opened, then closed her mouth again, looking helplessly at Kelapa.
"Don't ask me, you're the educated one." Kelapa smirked.
"It implies a lack of discrimination in your sex-partners." Leteetza said finally.
Mahrayne politely waited, wide-eyed, for further enlightenment.
"It suggests that this lack of discrimination means you won't find a mate."
Mahrayne frowned. "But if a baita will have sex with anyone - doesn't that mean they'd have little trouble finding a mate?"
"For sex, yes, but no-one wants to have children with someone who doesn't care who their partners are."
Mahrayne still looked puzzled. "I don't think I understand..."
"I don't think I can explain it any better," Leteetza shrugged, "must be a cultural thing."
"Though in my experience," Kelapa added, "when someone uses baita as an insult it usually means they want to have sex with the person they've just insulted."
Mahrayne giggled. "That's just perverse!"
"What's the worst thing you can call a Hassinan?" Leteetza asked.
"'Niffumahg eh denillh'. It means 'you are your mother's - or your father's - mate'." Mahrayne shuddered, "Very bad thing to say to someone."
"There was one alien race I knew," Kelapa mused, "and their worst insult translated as 'you eat the tiny flowers'!" They all burst out laughing.
The comm unit beeped, and Zh'leet answered it. She bowed her head, murmured something, then closed the connection.
"Leteetza," Zh'leet was apologetic, "the King wants to see you - now."
Leteetza groaned and stood up. "I am summoned - I obey." she grumbled.
Kelapa had to leave shortly after and Mahrayne said goodbye to her, slowly, out on the balcony. The warrior took the grittig hide with her when she finally left, promising Mahrayne she'd get it tanned, although she'd probably have to send it on to Hassina because the delegation would be long gone before the curing process was completed. The afternoon wound on, and Leteetza didn't return. Mahrayne took the opportunity, in-between entertaining the elder hostlings, and helping with the younger, to ask Zha'haarak about the children's education.
It turned out that, unlike the Hassinan, neither the R'ren'nkh'ia-jin or the Saiya-jin had any sort of formal education. Zha'haarak gladly volunteered the information that the High King wished for his children to be 'properly' educated, and it had fallen to the little warrior to try and sort something out. Mahrayne listened to the quiet zn'hre describe Leteetza's ideas; the Saiyan female was on the right track, but, as she obviously had no experience with this sort of thing, she was having a hard time pulling it all together. Mahrayne knew she had the skills, and the experience, to organise lesson plans - maybe she could set something up for the hostlings before she left? She started making notes.
Leteetza returned to the suite several hours later, in a foul mood, with three Saiyan children in tow. Before Mahrayne could ask who they were, chaos erupted as the hostlings engulfed the young Saiyans, squealing and hissing with manic delight. The Saiyan children, far from being overwhelmed, were just as exuberant. Whoever they were, Mahrayne surmised, they'd clearly been missed.
"Aren't you going to tell them to be quiet?" Zh'leet asked her, wincing at the noise.
"I don't think they'd hear me!" Mahrayne grinned. "Give them a few minutes to settle down then we'll try to restore some order."
Mahrayne glanced at Leteetza. Something had upset the little female, she'd said nothing since returning, and she was pacing, her tail expressing her... anger? Irritation?
"'Rayne! 'Rayne! These are our friends!"
Mahrayne's concern for Leteetza was suddenly forced to the back of her mind when the crowd of children, with beaming grins and arms and tails wound tightly around each other, tumbled over to her. They were all ecstatic at being together again and even though they were nearly all talking at once, Mahrayne was able to pull a few salient points out of the excited babble.
The beautiful little girl with the wide, golden-brown eyes, and a black mane that swept up from her forehead then cascaded down her back was Buahan. The boys, twins apparently, were Kiraz and Kobis. Kobis was the marginally more appealing of the two, with black eyes and a long black mane. Kiraz's eyes were black also, and his shining red mane was upswept, similar to the Saiyan-jin-no-Ou's. His face was also angularly reminiscent of the King's... Were these the King's heirs? The next part of the gabbled story had Mahrayne thinking furiously.
She was breathlessly told that the Saiyans had been kidnapped - days and days and days ago - the same day that the hostlings' maazi, Ti'aasaan, had got sick, but dadda Radiz and K'uri rescued them and their papa was happy again and dadda Radiz caught the baddies and gran'pa was one of them and...
Was this all true? Mahrayne glanced at Leteetza; the little female was frozen in place, listening to the chatter with consternation written all over her face. Interesting, very interesting. Marldus had mentioned internal troubles on Vejiitasei...
At that point Zh'leet offered the children some fruit, and they all tumbled off to her. Mahrayne was a little annoyed at the R'ren'nkh'ian's diversionary tactics, she would've liked to hear what else the children had to say. But Leteetza was scowling pensively, and pacing again. Mahrayne wanted to know what it was going on, but so far the little female was avoiding her gaze, refusing to be drawn. Maybe something a little more drastic was required? She was within reach...
Mahrayne stretched out and gently caught Leteetza's tail, immediately ruffling her fingers lightly through the fur.
That worked.
Leteetza started, then shuddered and glared at her, but didn't try to take her tail back. Mahrayne tugged lightly on it and Leteetza sank to the floor next to her, her breathing a little erratic.
"Can I have my tail back?" she said through gritted teeth.
"Not until you tell us what's going on." Mahrayne indicated a worried Zha'haarak and Zh'leet sitting close. The little Saiyan sighed, and Mahrayne relaxed her grip a fraction.
"The short version is that His Majesty has 'requested' we look after the heirs until further notice."
"Why?" Zh'leet was puzzled.
"Can't say yet." Leteetza growled. "Can I have my tail back now?"
"Are you sure?" Mahrayne asked, softly digging her fingers into the luxuriant fur, taking shameless advantage - she fully expected to pay for this temerity some time soon, but the little female was so strung out and frustrated... Leteetza growled, softly this time.
"I have too much to do."
Mahrayne sighed and reluctantly let go of the tail.
"Can we try and get some quiet here now?" Zh'leet asked plaintively.
"I don't know about 'quiet'," Mahrayne said, "but we can certainly aim for 'quieter'." She stood up fluidly, caressing Leteetza's shoulder as she did.
Two sharp, loud claps later she had all the children's attention, a little resentfully from one or two, to be sure, but it was hers.
"How about we teach Buahan, Kiraz and Kobis some of the songs we've been singing?"
Buahan and Kobis took to the distraction straight away, while Kiraz needed just a little bit of persuading - the red-maned Saiyan looked set to spend all afternoon tussling with Zha'raadiin, and wasn't too keen on doing anything else. Mahrayne watched the youngsters with pride and a glowing contentment. She was going to miss this.
A short while later Radittsu came into the suite and was promptly buried in children; he looked fatigued, Mahrayne thought. Leteetza was seated at the computer terminal, weariness personified: she and Radittsu exchanged a long look.
The big Saiyan frowned and growled, "That stupid, selfish little..."
He stopped himself with an effort and looked at Mahrayne, inclined his head towards Leteetza with a brusque, "Look after her" then strode off to the bathroom, herding the children before him.
Mahrayne stared.
Pardon?
Had Radittsu just practically ordered her to do what she thought he had?
Leteetza came over to Mahrayne and extended a hand to her, pulling her smoothly up from the floor and leading her through to one of the spare rooms.
"Radittsu's going to watch the brats for a while."
Well, Mahrayne thought, that answered that.
"What was he going to say - before he stopped himself?" Mahrayne wanted to know.
"No more questions." the little female ordered, gripping the back of the Hassinan's head and pulling her down to kiss. As Leteetza kicked the door closed, Mahrayne heard Radittsu's deep voice filtering through from the bathroom.
"Come back to the bath, monster. We're going to leave Leteetza and Mahrayne alone for a while."
Leteetza pushed Mahrayne over to the sleeping platform. The Hassinan was a little unsettled at the Saiyan's forcefulness - she really would've liked a chance to catch up with her, but Leteetza was nothing if not determined...
Mahrayne grinned; there was a way she could get some breathing space while still helping Leteetza to what she needed. She kissed the Saiyan back, hot and hard, her hand reaching behind the female to the base of her tail...
Leteetza quivered and gasped as she came. Her legs gave way and she fell back onto the bed, pulling Mahrayne with her.
"Not fair." she growled after a few moments. Mahrayne grinned unrepentantly, and began peeling off the Saiyan's bodysuit. Leteetza shifted around... or tried to. Mahrayne placed a flat hand between her breasts and pushed her back down gently.
"Shhh," she said softly, "let me."
Mahrayne slowly uncovered the female's body, kissing and stroking as she went, feeling Leteetza's need climbing again.
She loved this - taking control of someone's arousal, teasing and moulding it to her own whims, was satisfying in a way that simple sex could rarely match. And Leteetza was a delight, responsive and uninhibited. Mahrayne indulged herself, but only for a little while; she was aware of the passage of time - their help with the children would be needed again soon - and it was getting to the point where keeping the little Saiyan strung out for much longer would start tipping towards cruelty. Mahrayne, large golden eyes revealing the tenderness she felt for the little female, watched Leteetza's face when she finally let her come.
It looked like it would take a few minutes for Leteetza to come back down; Mahrayne quickly stripped off her robe and snuggled in next to the limp Saiyan, holding her.
"Better?" she asked, when Leteetza eventually roused.
"Um."
Mahrayne laughed. "Good."
"What about you?" Leteetza said thickly.
"I'm fine." Mahrayne kissed her forehead. "You needed the release more than I did."
They lay there together for a few minutes more, contentedly sharing body-heat.
Then Leteetza sighed. "I suppose you want to know what the brats were talking about?" Mahrayne nodded.
"The King's heirs were abducted. Sort of." Leteetza rubbed her eyes. "It's a little complicated."
Mahrayne waited patiently.
"Vejiita's consorts, Sheftali and Kayusu, are the twin daughters of Lord Anzu, who was on Vejiita's Council. Anzu didn't like the way the King was ruling, and 'abducted' the heirs and consorts as an attempt to put pressure on Vejiita to change his policies."
"So, the heirs weren't really kidnapped?"
"No, they were quite safe, it was only made to seem as if they had been." Leteetza was getting angry. "The 'abductors' lured the King away from the palace by - by hurting Ti'aasaan, and dumping him some distance away. Once it was realised that Ti'aasaan was missing, Vejiita went to look for him. When he got back, he found that Zh'anah, the R'ren'nkh'ian who guarded the heirs, had been killed, and the heirs and their mothers gone."
"That's terrible!" Mahrayne was appalled. "How did they find them?"
"Radittsu recognised Anzu's scent in the consorts' quarters - not surprising, he's their father, but all visits to the quarters are logged, and there was no record of his visiting. It was enough to start a thorough investigation of him. The plot was uncovered, and the heirs were found."
"And Anzu?"
"Is dead, or as good as." Leteetza said fiercely. "All those involved have been rounded up and sentenced."
Mahrayne hugged her. "It must have been awful. Why are the heirs here now, though?"
The Saiyan was quiet for a few moments. "Sheftali, the twin's mother, was involved in the plot. She killed herself before the King could deal with her." Leteetza said starkly. "We're looking after the heirs while Kayusu adjusts."
Mahrayne sighed. "It's very sad, but I suppose the best thing we can do is help the children get back to normal?"
Leteetza nodded. "We'd better get back to it then." She twisted in Mahrayne's arms and kissed her softly. "Thank you."
"Pleasure." Mahrayne answered, glad she'd had at least this small amount of time with Leteetza.
Mahrayne was summoned back to the Hassinan suite before dusk. She considered refusing - she wasn't going to be here much longer, why shouldn't she get as much time with the family as she could? Chances were, though, if she didn't go back tonight, she wouldn't be allowed to come here tomorrow. She said goodnight cheerfully enough while keeping her unhappiness out of sight.
The next morning, Leteetza was waiting for her outside the R'ren'nkh'ian suite. The little female didn't seem particularly rested, but she was calmer.
"How are the heirs settling in?" Mahrayne asked.
Leteetza rolled her eyes. "It took ages for them, all of them, to get to sleep last night, so of course, the babies were up later..." she grinned at Mahrayne. "They're all a bit grumpy in there at the moment. I thought I'd spare you that first thing in the morning."
"Very considerate."
"We've been assigned one of the large reception rooms for the children to play in. Shall we have a look?"
It was perfect.
Long, and wide, and tall, with large fireplaces at both ends. There was a single, large wooden table pushed into a corner, and a couple of chairs, but other than that the room was empty.
"Is the roof high enough for them to fly safely?" Mahrayne asked.
Leteetza considered, then drifted up to touch the ceiling.
"Seems to be." She smirked down at her companion.
"Smartarse." Mahrayne scowled at her, then grinned. "Just as well you tested it, I guess, seeing as you'll be supervising them in the air."
Leteetza grinned.
"Now," Mahrayne said to the little female when she floated back down, "we could do with some of those big cushions, and something for them to play with."
After a short trip to one of the manufactory centres, where Mahrayne explained the sort of things she was after, they returned to the suite just in time to help with the midday meal.
"Shall we take them there now?" Mahrayne asked while they ate.
"In about an hour. That'll give the room time to heat up for them."
The children were very excited to be going somewhere else for a change, and exploded into the freedom of the room with great joy. While they played, Mahrayne and Leteetza discussed the children's education. The Saiyan was pleasantly surprised at how quickly Mahrayne had got the lesson plans together. Leteetza named a few of the Thinkers who'd be suitable as tutors, Mahrayne suggested a couple of extra subjects, and within a few hours, between them, they had a comprehensive time-table that looked to be entertaining as well as educational.
Mahrayne looked sadly at the rough draft of the timetable they'd produced, then handed it to Leteetza.
"You'd better have this."
The little female took it with a puzzled frown. "Why?"
Mahrayne watched the children screaming delightedly from one end of the room to another, and sighed.
"The talks will be concluded today. I'll be leaving soon." She didn't succeed in keeping the catch out of her voice.
Leteetza hugged her. "Everything's going to be fine, you know."
Mahrayne smiled, a little tremulously. "This lot will be getting hungry soon. I suppose we should be getting them back to the suite."
Not surprisingly, there were protests when the adults tried to prise the children out of the room, the youngsters not being at all happy to leave, until Leteetza promised they could come back tomorrow - if they were good. Mahrayne held Zha'tiisaan's and Buahan's hands, and they sang together on the way back.
Zh'leet and Zha'haarak were all broad smiles when, over the evening meal, it became evident that the children were tired out, and there wouldn't be many arguments at bed-time.
Mahrayne was expecting the summons to the Hassinan suite at any moment, but the meal came and went without interruption, and when it was time to get the children ready for their bath and still there was no message for her, she happily agreed to help bathe the children again.
It was uncannily like her first day in the suite, Mahrayne thought, except she wasn't jumping out of her skin with nerves, and the Saiyan children were there. The heirs were just as fascinated with her skin-beads as the hostlings were, and Mahrayne grinned and endured the pokings and strokings, not just from them, but from some of the zn'hre children as well. Zha'tiisaan in particular seemed to find them fascinating, experimenting by running his small cool hand first firmly, then progressively lighter and lighter across them until her skin was exquisitely sensitised and she had to ask him to stop. And all the time Leteetza was watching her.
There was a knock on the bathroom door, and Mahrayne's heart sank; that was probably the message for her to return to the Hassinan suite. Hijau stuck his head in, a great beaming grin plastered all over his face.
"Just had a call from the medical centre. Ti'aasaan's on the mend - " there were hisses of joy at that, " - and he's suggested that the children sleep in another suite tonight."
Mahrayne wasn't quite sure what to make of that last bit, but Leteetza was smirking fit to burst.
Zh'leet rolled her eyes, while still smiling happily, and began getting the children out of the bath. Leteetza and Zha'haarak didn't move. Mahrayne turned to climb out too, but Leteetza grabbed her wrist.
"Stay. Please."
Mahrayne looked at the children. "But..."
"Hijau and Gh'veen will help put them to bed."
Mahrayne hesitated. She wanted to stay, was intrigued as to why the children would be sleeping somewhere else, but...
Leteetza stroked the beads on her breast, the Saiyan's tail curving sinuously up the inside of her legs. Mahrayne laughed and kissed the little female 'til they were breathless.
If Marldus wanted her to return to the Hassinan suite, he'd have to come and get her himself!
© 2002 February 14th Amanda Mullane
