Life Among the Savages - Part 2
Mahrayne managed to get a little time for herself the afternoon the family moved back into the suite. She and Kelapa walked in companionable silence together in the palace grounds, simply enjoying each other's company. She knew her relationship with Kel was deepening into something beyond just friendly sex and Mahrayne liked having time alone with the warrior. They stood by an ornamental pond, quietly watching the breeze ripple over the water. Kelapa took up her customary position behind the Hassinan, strong arms holding her close, her chin resting lightly on Mahrayne's shoulder.
"So what do you do on these nightly walks that I'm not allowed to come on." Kelapa teased.
"It's not that you're not allowed," Mahrayne protested quietly, "it's just that, after a lifetime of living crowded in with people - I find I enjoy the solitude." She shrugged within the confines of the females arms, "And then when I'm alone, I dance."
Kelapa smirked, and kissed her cheek. "And masturbate."
Mahrayne laughed and turned to face her lover, brushing her thumb over the warrior's lips.
"It's all part of the dance, susareh." she said softly, smiling up at the female.
It was so good to be back in the family suite!
The expanded suite had seemed enormous when they moved in, and the children had gone mad with excitement at the extra space. For the first time, Mahrayne saw Zh'leet lose her temper; she didn't know what the brood had said, but it certainly scared the children, and made Zha'haarak raise his voice above his usual quiet murmur. With a little gentle persuasion though, they all calmed down, then cheerfully set to, getting the suite ready for the High King and his bondmate when they returned from the medical centre.
Zha'haabron and Radittsu both looked exhausted; Zha'haabron had endured a second attempt at implanting a hybrid hostling. The early indications looked promising, though, and it was a quiet, but happy evening. That first night in the suite, the entire family, Mahrayne included, slept together on the huge platform. Mahrayne woke just before the first sun's rise, as she'd been doing since she first arrived on Vejiitasei, and slid silently out of the family's bed to go back to her room and the novelty of having Kelapa to herself.
Mahrayne loved her room. She had her own, small bathroom with a shower, and her own balcony which overlooked one of the beautiful little waterfall and pool features in the landscaped gardens. The walls of her room were completely bare, but she was going to remedy that as soon as Chumie managed to send on her things. She was already planning the wall hangings - and maybe she could get some paint...
The second morning she woke up in her room - eyes opening at the first hint of pre-dawn light - 'tiisaan was snuggled between herself and Kelapa, 'haabron and 'leesaan nestled in on her other side. Mahrayne smiled fondly at them while she gently extricated herself. She slid out of bed, tucked the covers back around the still sleeping hostlings, then snuck around to Kel's side. The female was lying flat on her back, one arm curled above her head, the other trapped under 'tiisaan. Mahrayne smiled and gently pulled the covers down until Kel's breasts were exposed, her nipples puckering as the soft material slipped over them. Mahrayne gently tweaked a dark peak and Kelapa stirred and sighed, undulating her hips slightly in her sleep. Mahrayne grinned evilly and lowered her head to Kel's body, licking then sucking at a firm little nub. The warrior's eyes snapped open and her free hand pressed Mahrayne closer, strong fingers stroking into her thick, white hair. Mahrayne grinned.
"Come with me." she said almost soundlessly, standing up. Kel looked speculatively at her, then gently eased her arm out from under 'tiisaan. Mahrayne smiled then walked naked to the balcony door, picking up a large sleeping fur as she stepped outside. Kelapa followed her out, and Mahrayne wrapped the fur around the taller female's shoulders, silently indicating for her sit down against the building wall. Mahrayne grinned and settled herself between the warriors strong thighs, her back resting comfortably against Kel's front. Kelapa nuzzled her neck and wrapped the fur blanket around them both.
"What is it with you and early mornings?" she grumbled quietly.
"I think it's the suns light. I'm not used to it and it wakes me up."
"Doesn't explain why you always wake up before suns rise." Kelapa cuddled the Hassinan, running teasing hands over the beads on her breasts, kissing and nuzzling her neck and shoulder. Mahrayne sighed and relaxed back against her lover, opening her thighs and shivering with anticipation when she felt Kel's tail probing between her legs.
Mahrayne moaned quietly as she climaxed, distantly feeling Kelapa's teeth biting down gently at the junction of her neck and shoulder - biting hard enough to leave indents, but not break the skin. She quivered as Kel licked her neck, laving her tongue slowly over the almost-bite. Mahrayne caught the Saiyan's tail in warm hands and Kelapa hissed as she ruffled her nails through the thick fur, and brought the tip up to her mouth.
'tiisaan came out onto the balcony when the second sun was just peeping over the horizon.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked, yawning.
"Watching the suns rise, sinam." Mahrayne said.
He looked at them with a sly smirk that wouldn't have been out of place on a Saiyan face.
"No you weren't." he stated - then shivered in the cool dawn air. Kelapa scowled and held the fur open in invitation.
"Oh, come on then, brat." she growled.
'tiisaan beamed and dived under the cover, wrapping cool arms around Mahrayne and burrowing in close. Kelapa grumbled, but wrapped them all up snugly in the fur. Mahrayne laughed and tilted her head up, kissing Kel's chin. The Hassinan smiled happily - sandwiched closely between two of her favourite people while watching the suns rise on a beautiful world - she didn't think she could get any more content.
One morning, a few days later, Mahrayne and Leteetza were supervising the elder children through one of the less interesting lessons. The light level in the room had dimmed, and Mahrayne looked out of the windows to see thick, dark clouds rolling in from the direction of the sea. She didn't think anymore of it, busy as she was helping 'raadiin to stay focused long enough to finish the simple arithmetic exercises, until she heard what sounded like tiny pebbles being dropped onto stretched leather. Eyes wide, she looked out of the window again and saw water running down the outside of the glass. Forgetting 'raadiin for the moment, she darted over to the windows, and stood looking out, transfixed.
The water was falling from the clouds in thick drops, splashing onto the balcony, and the trees in the gardens were partially obscured by a fine grey curtain of moisture. Mahrayne pressed her palms against the glass, fingers splayed wide as she felt the vibrations from the droplets hitting the outside of the window.
"What is this?" she asked Leteetza, who had appeared beside her.
"It's rain." The little female said. "You've never seen it before?"
Mahrayne shook her head, lips parted slightly, wide golden eyes glued to the scene.
Leteetza went on. "It's what happens when the clouds release their moisture, and it's not cold enough for it to freeze and become snow."
"It's never warm enough for that to happen on Hassina." Mahrayne breathed.
Leteetza chuckled. "Go on, then."
Mahrayne looked at her quizzically.
"I know you're dying to get out there." Leteetza smirked. "I can handle things in here for a while. Go!"
Mahrayne kissed her quickly then scurried outside.
Cold!
Drops of cold water hit her skin like - like nothing she could think of, except maybe the shower units, but less controlled, more random, more primal. Mahrayne lifted her arms and tilted her face towards the sky, closing her eyes and feeling the 'rain' - sounded like part of her name! - form rivulets down her skin, soaking her hair and robe. She opened her mouth, trying to taste the drops of water, and laughed at the tickle of it on her tongue.
Mahrayne discovered puddles. Some shallow ones had formed on the balcony and she happily splashed barefoot in those, giggling as she kicked the water up into arcs of sparkling droplets. She almost fell over, slipping on the smooth stone of the balcony, only her natural dexterity saving her from bruises, and she laughed again. Mahrayne could have stayed out there until the rain stopped, delighting herself with these new sensations, but her life-long, self-conditioned 'responsibility before play' mentality pulled her up short of total indulgence and she reluctantly came back inside.
Leteetza handed the soaking Hassinan a drying cloth, and a fresh robe, as soon as she was over the threshold.
"You might want these." the little female said dryly.
Mahrayne took them gratefully, un-self-consciously peeling off her sodden robe, and towelling herself down quickly. She slipped on the wonderfully warm, dry robe and unbanded her hair before wrapping the heavy wet mass up in the cloth.
"Right, where are you up to?" she briskly asked her grinning pupils.
Zha'haabron was five days into his second attempt at hosting, and being coddled and fussed over - primarily by Zh'leet, but Radittsu wasn't much better - until it looked like he was going to scream! Mahrayne marvelled at his patience. The High King spent a lot of time on the comm unit to R'ren'nkh'ia, and she was intrigued by the glimpses of other zn'hre she saw. They all looked so beautiful - it was impossible to understand how anybody could want to hurt them.
And now the family was relaxing in the suite after a large midday meal. Mahrayne was reclining on a floor cushion, 'tiisaan's head comfortably - for him - pillowed on her full stomach. She didn't mind, she loved having him near, loved being able to reach out and stroke his soft, emerald hair.
There was a music chip playing; something from R'ren'nkh'ia.
It was very odd music, Mahrayne thought, sort of breathy and fluting, with multiple vocal parts; and there were notes where she didn't expect them, and pauses where she expected notes. Idly, she lifted up her hands and began trying to move them in time with the music, trying to sense the flow of the bizarre melodies. 'tiisaan's small hands joined hers in the air above them, and together, gold and blue, they wove complex patterns around each other, experimenting with form and styles. They were giggling, enjoying themselves enormously.
"What do you think of our music, Mahrayne?" the High King asked.
"I honestly couldn't say, your Majesty, it's - different to anything I've heard before."
"What's your music like?" Ti'aasaan asked from his position curled up with Leteetza and their offspring.
"Percussive mostly; bells, drums, cymbals, chimes. Clapping of course, and voice." She frowned, trying to analyse and compare the two types of music. "Our is more... We use a more evenly spaced rhythm."
"Do you have recordings of any of it?"
Mahrayne twisted round to look at the small zn'hre in surprise.
"No, nothing like that. We've never thought to record any of it, there's no point, really, the music is different every time it's played."
"You never play the same thing twice?"
"Well, there are 'themes' we use, sort of base-line melodies, then the musicians improvise around those." She tickled 'tiisaan to get his attention.
"Let's see if we can dance to this, yes?"
It was a fascinating challenge trying to dance to the oddly inflected R'ren'nkh'ian music, and it required Mahrayne to step outside the forms she'd been trained to all her life - but they were doing it, between them. Taking their cues from each other, 'tiisaan and Mahrayne were slowly finding the paths to understanding the music on an instinctive level. The music prompted less energetic moves than Hassinan dance - more controlled, slower - Mahrayne could almost feel the potential for a soul-quiet grace in it...
The dancers were so involved with their embryonic dance form they didn't notice how much time had passed until Leteetza called their attention to it.
"It's past time to go back to the play room now..." She grinned. "Everyone else has been there for over an hour."
"Why didn't you say something?"
"You looked like you were having so much fun we didn't want to disturb you."
Mahrayne blinked, then she and the young zn'hre gazed at each other, identical smiles wreathing their faces. She bowed formally to 'tiisaan, and he to her, then she picked him up bodily and hugged him.
"That was fun, sinam." she whispered. 'tiisaan wrapped his arms and legs around her.
"Can we keep on trying?" he asked, large golden eyes widened hopefully.
"Of course!" She rubbed noses with him. "But now, let's go and join the others."
"Some things arrived for you today." Ti'aasaan, his curiosity evident, told Mahrayne when the children and accompanying adults got back to the suite in the late afternoon. She squealed and dived into her room, closely followed by Leteetza, Ti'aasaan, and all of the children; Zha'haarak stood at the doorway, looking on: there wasn't space for him to get into the room. Three large, sturdy, grey propylex transport cases sat on the floor next to the bed.
Mahrayne laughed delightedly.
"I was hoping this would get here soon!"
"What is it?" Ti'aasaan was running a finger curiously along the top of one.
"I asked my sister to send me some things." Mahrayne answered, reaching for the nearest box.
"Some things?" Leteetza snorted. "You mean there was more she could have sent?"
"Oh yes," Mahrayne grinned, "this is only the essentials I asked for."
She frowned. "It's been opened."
"For security reasons, probably," Leteetza said, then pointed to a seal attached to the top of the box. "See, this is the official declaration here."
Leteetza watched, bemused, as the Hassinan pulled garment after garment out of the first box, all brightly coloured and embroidered. Ti'aasaan fingered the different materials, and the children were crowded around the box and crawling over the adults, hissing excitedly. At the bottom of the transport container was another, smaller box - Mahrayne opened it, smiling with delight; inside were dozens of skeins of different coloured threads. Little blue fingers reached towards the colourful temptation.
"Sorry, sinam, I don't want you to play with these." Mahrayne said apologetically to 'honee, who pouted.
"What are they for?" Leteetza was reaching for them too.
"Embroidery threads." Mahrayne picked up one of the garments and showed the Saiyan the coloured design on the front. "Like this."
"What are they made of?"
"These ones come from plants native to Slemmas. The Slemmans have an amazing range of colour dyes too, which we love! Up until we started trading off-world, we only had metallic threads to use."
Mahrayne waded through the children to put the box of threads high up on the in-built shelves. She clapped her hands, twice, and everyone obediently looked at her. She smiled.
"Please don't touch anything on these top two shelves without asking me first."
There were a couple of frowns at what was obviously an unwelcome restriction, but the children seemed inclined to do as she asked.
The first box was empty - Mahrayne picked it up and put it near the bedroom door.
"There you go!" she grinned as half of the children made straight for the empty box, just as she'd expected them to. No doubt the three boxes would find their way to the play room to become whatever the children's fertile imaginations could make them.
The second box was half full of brightly coloured felt pieces, and more clothes, and letters, and lots and lots of small boxes of jewellery. Mahrayne put the letters aside to read later, let the children put on whatever jewellery they wanted then gave them the second empty box to play with. The two boxes were dragged out into the common room, and all of the children scampered off to show their papa the new jewellery. Mahrayne chuckled; that had got rid of most of the crowd, leaving only Leteetza, Ti'aasaan and Zha'haarak - who was finally able to get into the room - to witness the opening of the third box.
The first thing Mahrayne lifted out was a parcel wrapped in a translucent piece of leather. Inside was a letter from Chumie, and a silvery, shimmering garment. Mahrayne reverently held it up.
"Oh, Chumie..." she breathed, her eyes bright at the sight of the beautiful robe. It was knitted from a yarn made of a glistening, fine white fibre twisted with a bright, silvery metal and fastened part-way down the back with tiny, carved gemstone buttons. Mahrayne held it against her, stroking the pile; she knew it would fit her perfectly and cling to every contour - Chumie had exquisite taste in clothing. Mahrayne touched the robe to her forehead and sniffled a little, suddenly missing her sister.
"What's it made of?" Leteetza was wide-eyed with curiosity.
"The thread's a mixture of dnarb hair, from Slemmas, and one of our metals."
"It's beautiful."
"My naming day present." Mahrayne folded the garment neatly and put it on one of the high shelves. "I think I'll save that for a special occasion."
"Naming day?" Leteetza asked.
"Yes. When each of our children is strong enough to hold up their head, they're officially given their name, and their feet are allowed to touch the ground for the first time."
"They don't touch the ground until then? Why? What do you do with the baby in the meantime?"
"They're carried all the time, by their mother or relatives and friends. We believe the child's - um, spirit... soul? - is still partially connected with the spirit world until they're strong enough to hold up their head and letting them touch the physical world before that connection fades naturally is bad for them."
Leteetza stared - then frowned. She opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind and shook her head indulgently instead. Her expression clearly indicated that she thought the very idea nonsense, but she wasn't about to upset Mahrayne...
Ti'aasaan was holding up the material the robe had been wrapped in, marvelling at its softness and how very nearly transparent it was.
"Where did this come from? It is an animal skin, isn't it?"
"It's from an ontibu, one of those big things that live in the lakes. Their hides make a beautiful leather."
Mahrayne pulled out another, smaller parcel, wrapped in a piece of striped material. Inside was a bone comb, the top of it carved into a complex, eye-trapping pattern. She grinned and traced the design with her fingertip, then touched this gift to her forehead.
"This is from Malum, my younger brother. Ever since my first adult naming day he's carved me a comb every year. He's very good at it."
"Do you always get presents for your 'naming day'?" Ti'aasaan asked.
"It depends. It's not required, but Chumie and I have been exchanging gifts for years - same with Malum."
Mahrayne looked inside the box and squeaked happily.
"Chumie's sent me all of Malum's combs! Oh, that girl thinks of everything!"
Mahrayne carefully laid the carved bone combs out on the bed; Leteetza counted them.
"Twenty, including the one you've just got." she mused. "How old are you?"
"Thirty-five, soon." Mahrayne was happily sorting the combs out, putting them in order.
"Thirty-five Hassinan years - that's - " Leteetza frowned. "That's about a hundred of our years. You're older than I thought!"
Mahrayne was curious. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-five."
The Hassinan gaped. "Vejiitasei years? That's only ten of ours! We're not even considered adult until we reach fifteen!"
"Well you did say that Hassinan were slow to mature." Leteetza said smugly.
There were a few more things to come out of the last box. Mahrayne's eyes lit up when she saw the selection of Hassinan 'delicacies' that Chumie had included. They were nearly all bits of meat, or whole insects, dried and salted - most of which Leteetza wrinkled her nose at. Inside a clear container were a number of palm-sized, greyish, withered spheres. Mahrayne laughed and pulled one out, using her strong nails to break the leathery thing open. She plucked out the small, rubbery, lizard like animal inside and chewed contentedly on it.
"What is that?" Leteetza didn't seem impressed.
"Ontibu spawn. You get them when they're almost ready to hatch - then cook them, then soak them in a mineral salt solution for ages. Want one?"
She grinned, holding the open jar out to Leteetza who grimaced and pulled away from it, making noises of disgust. Zha'haarak wasn't keen to try one, but Ti'aasaan did, nibbling delicately on the little body.
"Interesting." he mused. "Salty. Very strange after-taste. Not something I think I could get to like." He trilled in mock-concern to Mahrayne, "Oh dear, more for you!" She laughed and cracked open another sphere...
A couple of minutes later Mahrayne carefully lifted a small, decorative bottle out of the transport box. It was filled with a clear, viscous liquid and Mahrayne grinned evilly when she saw it. She uncapped the bottle and breathed in the vapour, her pupils dilating. Leteetza sniffed it cautiously and jerked away, almost sneezing.
"Oh, gods! That's disgusting!"
"It's an acquired taste." Mahrayne smirked.
"What is it?" Ti'aasaan took a sniff and wrinkled his nose.
"Dilly. It's distilled from a type of mould."
"And you drink it?" Leteetza demanded, aghast.
Mahrayne grinned. "Oh yes," she said softly, eyes gleaming, "it has certain - properties."
"Like what?"
"A little bit is relaxing, a little bit more makes you - " Mahrayne's eyes narrowed as she searched for the word in Common. " - euphoric? Is that it? Makes you very happy?" Leteetza nodded. "And more again increases sensation and libido. It can be very..."she licked her lips, stroking a finger lovingly down the rippling contours of the bottle, " ... stimulating."
Leteetza grimaced. "Sounds interesting, but I think I'll give it a miss."
"Do you use it often?" Ti'aasaan asked.
Mahrayne shook her head. "No. Too much, too often can - " she struggled for the words, " - deaden your emotions, while increasing your sensitivity to physical sensation so much that the gentlest touch is like being burnt. It's very bad."
"And knowing this, you still drink it?" Leteetza was astounded.
Mahrayne shrugged, and put the bottle up on the highest shelf.
"If dilly is used sensibly, it can be very, very good."
"This is heavy!" Ti'aasaan was holding a delicately etched, silver metal casket.
"Ah!" Mahrayne grinned and took it from him, setting it down in her lap and lifting the lid. Almost identical looks of puzzlement formed on Leteetza's and the zn'hre's faces as the box opened to reveal a series of carved bone and crystal rods nestled in a protective felt padding. The smallest was the length and width of a finger.
"What are these for?" Leteetza had picked up the largest one - it was made from bone, a couple of inches in diameter and half again as long as her hand.
"They're for sex." Mahrayne said.
The little female was flabbergasted. "...Why?"
"Because they feel nice." Mahrayne laughed; the look on the Saiyan's face was priceless.
"I'm assuming you insert them...?"
"Uh-huh. The smaller ones go into your anus." Mahrayne grinned at her friend. "Well, the larger ones can too, it depends on what you like."
Leteetza ran a finger down the small bumps carved into the surface of the toy.
"These look like skin-beads."
"That's what they represent."
The little female tilted her head quizzically.
"Our males have the beads on their penises." Mahrayne explained.
Both the zn'hre winced but the Saiyan was intrigued.
"What does that feel like? Oh - " she remembered that Mahrayne had never had sex with a male. The Hassinan grinned.
"Just because I haven't experienced it doesn't mean that I haven't interrogated someone who has!" she laughed. "From what I've been told, the beads can make things very enjoyable."
"'Can make'?"
"Depends on the skill of the male, apparently."
Ti'aasaan, wide-eyed and slightly breathy, took the toy from Leteetza, closing his hand around the hard shaft and moving his fingers gently up and down over the bumps. He shared a look with Zha'haarak.
"Can we borrow this sometime?" he asked Mahrayne.
"Of course." she smiled at him. Ti'aasaan, reluctantly, put the toy back in the box and Mahrayne closed the lid just as 'tiisaan and 'haabron came tumbling back in to her room.
"What's in there?" 'tiisaan bounced onto the bed next to her.
"Nothing that will be of interest to you for a while yet." she smiled at him, and put the casket away on the 'forbidden' shelf. 'tiisaan pouted, but his expression cleared when his sibling pulled another metal casket out of the transport box. Mahrayne took the box from him and put it on the bed next to 'tiisaan.
"These, however, might."
She opened it up and pulled out a chain of tiny silver bells; the box was full of similar strands of different sized bells. Mahrayne let out the breath she'd been holding and smiled with delight. She kissed 'tiisaan on the nose.
"And after the evening meal I'll show you how I dance with these."
Everyone was there for the meal. Kelapa plonked herself next to Mahrayne and kissed her before helping herself from the heaped platters. 'tiisaan bolted his food, and wasn't impressed when Mahrayne told him to be patient - he'd have to wait 'til she'd finished her meal. When she had leisurely eaten her fill, and chuckled to herself at 'tiisaan watching, and begrudging, her every mouthful, Mahrayne nodded at the young zn'hre. He beamed and darted into her room, retrieving the box of bells. She smiled her thanks to him and lifted out the bright strands of bells, organising them into tonal groups on the floor in front of her. Mahrayne considered just how she was going to do this; the best way to use the bells was naked, but she was reluctant to do that with Radittsu and Hijau here. In the bathroom was one thing, but...
She had a flash of inspiration.
"I'll be right back."
In her room, Mahrayne changed into the blue body-suit Leteetza had given her when they'd gone hunting. She looked at herself in the large mirror she'd had installed, and found herself surprisingly, ridiculously nervous. Why? True, it had been a little while since she'd done this type of dancing, but she didn't think her skills would have slipped so much that she'd embarrass herself. Oh well, if she couldn't think why she was nervous, maybe there was no reason for it.
Everyone was watching her curiously as she walked out of her room.
"I'm going to do some 'bell-dancing'," Mahrayne explained to a rapt 'tiisaan, and incidentally, to everyone else.
"Can you teach me?" 'tiisaan asked.
Mahrayne raised her eyebrows. "You haven't even seen it yet, you might not like it enough to want to learn."
'tiisaan gave her a look that implicitly cast doubts on her intelligence, and she laughed.
"Silly me." she said good-humouredly, and cupped his face. "Of course I can teach you this as well, sinam. It's very different to the dancing we've been doing, though, much harder, much more disciplined."
'tiisaan nodded solemnly, eyes wide, already learning.
Mahrayne picked up the strand of bells with the highest pitch, and couldn't help noticing the Saiyans wincing.
"Too sharp?"
Leteetza nodded apologetically. "Yes, that - hurts."
"What about this?" Mahrayne softly jingled another strand, and soon, through trial and error, they'd established the upper limit of what was comfortable for sensitive Saiyan ears. It meant that Mahrayne lost the top quarter of the bells' range, but it was only a small adjustment to make.
With the ease of long practise, Mahrayne began to array the bells over her body.
She fastened strands around her ankles and wrists; around her forehead and neck. Two long chains crossed over her chest between her breasts, another two combined at her waist. More slung low over her hips. Fine metal armbands with more bells went around her upper arms in two places, and jingling, chiming bands of soft leather fastened around her thighs, with strands from there clipping onto the hip bells. More of the leather bands went down her legs, between her knees and calves, and finally, several short strands were anchored by loops over her toes and attached to the ankle bells.
Mahrayne bounced lightly on the balls of her feet a few times, and waved her arms in graceful arcs, creating a shimmer of sound around her.
"Bear with me," she apologized, "it's been a little while - I need to warm up."
Mahrayne forgot about her audience as she concentrated on isolating, then moving, different parts of her body, and was unaware of the introspective look of absorbed pleasure on her face as she smoothly got back 'in tune'. She breathed out happily. This was good.
"Ready?" she asked 'tiisaan, who nodded, golden eyes enormous in his small face.
And Mahrayne danced, swaying and shaking, stamping and clapping, creating her own music with the bells on her body. The melody rippled and cascaded over and through her and she forgot her audience, forgot everything except the control of her body and the bliss of dancing.
Some subliminal thread of awareness kept track of time so she knew to stop before her dance slipped from demonstration to indulgence. There was a moment's silence, then the R'ren'nkh'ians applauded loudly making Mahrayne laugh and blush. The Saiyans, she wasn't surprised to see, were staring at her open-mouthed. Honestly, you'd think they had no culture!
'tiisaan was beside himself. "I want to do that!" he said with some awe.
Mahrayne sat down carefully, breathing hard, and thirstily drank the water Kel gave her. The warrior smirked at her and wiped her fingers across Mahrayne's forehead.
"Ye gods, you're actually sweating!"
"'s hard work!" Mahrayne protested. "You try it!"
"How can you move one part of your body without moving the bit next to it?" Ti'aasaan was fascinated.
"Practise." Mahrayne grinned. "Some people never get the hang of it, but my sister, Chumie, has phenomenal control. Much better than me."
Ti'aasaan expressed his disbelief.
"No, truly!" Mahrayne said, "I've seen her only move bells in the middle of a strand while the rest were still!"
'tiisaan went to pick up one of the strands of bells left in the box; Mahrayne touched his wrist lightly, stopping him.
"You must never touch them without my permission, yes?"
The young dancer opened his mouth to protest, then closed it, and nodded solemnly.
"Thank you, sinam." she smiled softly at him. "Some of these strands are very old and they need to be treated with care." Mahrayne felt an enormous tenderness for the young zn'hre kneeling attentively in front of her. "Now," she said brightly, "your first lesson can be learning how to remove the bells and put them away without tangling them."
'tiisaan may have agreed to not touch the bells without permission, but he certainly hadn't agreed not to pester Mahrayne to begin teaching him to bell-dance as soon as possible. In the bath that evening, Mahrayne'd had to give him a set of muscle isolation exercises to start practicing before he would leave her alone so she could concentrate on Kelapa.
They had been back in the suite for a few days, and life was beginning to settle down. One evening, after an overly busy day, the hostlings and heirs had finally gone to sleep - although it had taken a particularly soporific story from Mahrayne before they all closed their eyes.
Radittsu and the zn'hre were sitting in the common room; Zha'haabron was attempting to run his fingers through his bondmates thick mane, scowling slightly every time his fingers got caught. Watching them, Mahrayne realised she had the very things that might help, and retreated to her room to retrieve them.
She knelt gracefully in front of the big male, but addressed the High King.
"Your Majesty, if I could suggest something?" she shyly held out four sturdy, broad-toothed bone combs and Radittsu groaned feelingly. Zha'haabron's eyes gleamed and he gave her a small smile.
"Are you sure, Mahrayne? They might break."
"These are ordinary combs, your Majesty, it doesn't matter if they break," she grinned up at Radittsu through long eye-lashes.
"No offence, Raditts'-sama, but I'm not going to risk any of my special combs - " she looked pointedly at his mane, " - in that."
The zn'hre happily took a comb each, leaving Mahrayne with one comb. She looked at the big male, a blush brushing across her cheeks.
"Would you mind if I helped too?"
He scowled, then sighed. "Four isn't going to be any more painful than three." Mahrayne grinned and moved around behind him, settling herself comfortably on a floor cushion.
It was a painstaking job, untangling that incredibly thick, heavy mane, just the sort of fiddly, time-consuming thing Mahrayne took pleasure in doing and she hummed softly to herself as she concentrated on gently working through the knots. She was delighting in the feel of the rough strands through her fingers - and the chance to sit close, legitimately, to the big male.
And then, as she swept her comb through a - finally! - smooth hank of ebony hair, she had a vivid memory of performing a similar action on thick, golden hair.
"Oh, why didn't I see it before!" Mahrayne exclaimed softly.
"What?" Ti'aasaan asked.
"I've just realised why this - " she lightly touched Radittsu's mane, " - is so..."
"Arousing?" Ti'aasaan supplied teasingly.
She blushed hotly. "Er, yes." Radittsu gave a rumbling chuckle, not helping her composure at all. Ti'aasaan was looking expectantly at her.
"Genesia, my dance teacher, had hair that came down to her knees." Mahrayne blinked back tears; even after all this time, she still achingly missed the graceful female.
"She was special?" Ti'aasaan asked softly.
"We were very close." Mahrayne murmured - an understatement.
Genesia was one of Mahrayne's tertera, and had been her first adult lover, stepping forward to lovingly claim her student as soon as the girl turned fifteen. For the few years they were together, they'd been exclusive - not counting the times Genesia had to go to Astolan - neither of them wanting or needing anyone else. She and her mentor had a rapport, a closeness of mind that Mahrayne believed was as close as she was ever going to get to her longed-for telepathic union. Mahrayne had been inconsolable when her teacher had succumbed to a virulent lung disease, and been tempted by the idea of deliberately following Genesia into the afterlife. But her little sisters' love for her - Chumie and Testa were then just on five years old - had kept her from doing anything rash. That, and a tenuous feeling that it wasn't time for her to die yet...
Mahrayne shook off the past, and deliberately changed the subject, discussing the hostlings' progress with their parents.
It took a concerted effort to get Radittsu's mane smooth and tangle free, but when they were done, the cascade of black fairly shone. Kelapa returned to the suite as they were finishing up: the warrior almost laughed out loud at the sight of the big, tough Saiyan grimly enduring the attentions of his bondmates and Mahrayne. She hastily wiped the grin off her face, though, when Radittsu growled warningly at her,
"Not one word."
Kelapa saluted the captain smartly, but couldn't help smirking - just a little.
"Wouldn't dream of it, sir."
Mahrayne ran the comb one last time through her designated section of Radittsu's mane before standing up and stretching. She said good-night to the bondmates and followed Kelapa into the bedroom, the female already shedding her armour in anticipation of a long, hot shower. Mahrayne glanced back over her shoulder at the tableau in the common room. Zha'haarak and Ti'aasaan were still busy combing - more for their own pleasure in the task now that all the tangles had been dealt with - but Zha'haabron had moved, or been pulled, into Radittsu's lap, the big male's hand resting lightly on his beloved's abdomen, a soft smile of delight on his strong face. Mahrayne smiled at the sight, silently wishing the family every happiness - and a healthy hostling.
© 2002 March 24th Amanda Mullane
susareh - sister. To a Hassinan female this word has a multitude of layered meanings, from platonic siblings through to intense, purely sexual relationships. In this case it means 'loved friend'.
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Tertera - aunt. Generic term for the other females belonging to a child's father. Matertera is the term used if there is a blood relationship (i.e.: sisters) between females within the group.
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