ON, Fort Jarizas, Mazerin
Base Shrine
Yetsava 15, 935
25:46, Commonwealth Standard Time
Mu'Tasim sat idly infront of the array of statues in the Shrine, meditating softly. He was still a little shaken from earlier, and had his left hand over his right because of the pain resonating in his knucles. An exasperating sigh escaped the Guard's lips as he slumped over. "I need something to take my mind off of this..." he thought, looking down at his three purple knuckles.
Perhaps Muna was listening in, because just then a certain young Sund Wakir girl found her way into the Shrine. "Steward Farouk, are you in?" she asked inquisitively, looking about the inside of the room. Spotting the person she was calling out for, Reovan stepped in and greeted him more solemnly, "Divine blessings." She was out of uniform and dressed in more casual attire, her dark hair let to fall freely about her shoulders and down her back. Her light civilian clothing was more suitable to the desert than the cold of Mazerin and so she had worn her heavy uniform coat over it all to keep her warm.
Thank the Saints! Mu'Tasim chimed gladly in his head, greatly thankful for a visitor. He turned his head to look at her straight on, he answered her a tad more weakly than usual. "Divi-" He caught himself, clearing his throat and began to stand up. "Divine blessings to you as well!" the warmth in his words had returned. He kept his right hand covered by his left, and nodded his head respectfully to her.
"I hope you're doing well," the girl said to him, returning his nod with a mischievious look in her orange eyes. Quickly she walked about the room, smiling as brightly and as happily as kid in a candy store. She gazed in awe at the decorations and accoutrements that littered the shrine. "You've done a wonderful job with this place," Reovan praised the Temple Guard. With a small laugh and a shrug she added:"It almost makes me forget the temperature."
"The more and more this day goes, I feel as my dreams are laughing at me." Mu'Tasim said in glum tone, though did not let it hinder his facial expression. He watched her look around the shrine with his own interest, glad to see someone appreciating his handiwork.
At her mention of the temperature, his right hand slipped out of his robe and pulled in his robe a little bit. "Heh, I know what you mean, it makes me appreciate the Moon Robes a lot more now."
With a concerned look back at Mu'Tasim, the desert-born girl paused in her examinaton of the shrine, "Well, you need to smile in order to laugh, so maybe your dreams are looking more favorably on you than you think?" It was something her mother had said to her aunt on many occasions, as Dhanyata was fond of using the same phrase to describe her own life on particularly bad days. Reovan smiled at the Temple Guard and began looking over the statues of the various saints. "I hope you don't mind my intruding in here on you."
"Oh no, no." His hand went up and waved, as if pushing the thought out of the way. "I don't get too many visitors here. So, it feels good to have someone come in and bring me out of my idling meditations."
"Good, good," Reovan said as finished her inspection of the room. "There should be a law against sending us to such a place," she observed, rolling her eyes at both the absurdity of the suggestion and of their situation. "Noone used to the heat of the Nuocr should have to come out this way."
"You know, speaking of that, I've been meaning to get the Nuocr lamp lit and warm the room some." Mu'Tasim said as he turned for a moment and moved to the large lamp sitting at the center of the room.
The Nuocr lamp was squarish, almost resembling the shape of a house with holes in it's roof. It was a tad small, about a foot wide and a foot and a half tall, compared to real Sund Wakir made lamps, but it was enough for their Shrine.
He knelt down and began to fiddle with it's architecture, "I've been so occupied in the last hour, I havn't thought of it, Bahbi help me..." He sighed, and then looked up at her and chuckled. "Do you remember how they made us study scripture with these things?"
Kneeling down beside the lamp herself, the dark-skinned girl nodded in response to his question. "I thought my horns were going to melt right off from the heat in those small dark rooms," she said with a lighthearted laugh. Shaking her head at the memories, she placed a hand on the lamp to support herself as she looked over it's construction. "And one boy, I remember, got caught trying to poke out more holes with a pocket knife." Her orange eyes looked towards the ceiling as she tried to recall the situation. "His father had given it to him when he entered the Monestary, and of course it got confiscated after his little stunt." Going back to looking at the lamp Reovan concluded, "I think he got it back when he went home."
"You think that's bad?" Mu'Tasim chuckled a little bit, pulling out a lighter. "I remember this girl, actually lifted the roof off one of these, and caught her Book of Dreams on fire!" He found the small lighting point beneath the lantern and began flicking the lighter. "Now... I remember there something specific you had to do before lighting one of these, but I don't remember what..." The Guard arched a brow at it, and then clicking the lighter a little more.
THWOMPF!
The roof of the lamp flew off as the light in side exploded into a large flame, before going back down into a more comfortable, warming flame. Mu'Tasim recieved the metal plate to the face before it flipped off into the corner of the room. "Saints Dammit!" He cursed loudly, placing his hand on his forehead.
As she looked up at the Temple Guard struggling with the lighter, Reovan attempted to warn him about lighting the lamp with the hood still on, but she only managed to get out a "Arn't you going--" before he lit the thing in a pyrotechnic display that led to what looked like a fairly painful kiss from the metal plate. "Are you okay?" she asked with some concern as she stood up and walked over to retrieve the top of the lamp from where landed. "You should be more careful," she chastied him as she picked it up.
"Yes, this only proves how out of sorts I am." Mu'Tasim moved his hand from his forehead, suprisingly, there was no evident damage. "Things keep happening at a rate in which I can't control, and now I'm having Nuocr Plates hit me in the face." He stood, and looked over at her, "I swear, the amount of times my Steward did that to herself, you'd figure I'd remember that." A chuckle escaped from his weak, embarassed smile.
Glad to see that he hadn't hurt himself too badly, Reovan didn't feel bad about berating his words. Lightly placing the metal hood back on the lamp, she clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Don't we learn that the Makuori's dreams only serve to guide us, but we control our own fates?" After making sure the roof was securely in place, she stood back up and looked towards the Temple Guard for an answer. She didn't feel she was challenging his beliefs, but the girl was surprised that he had cursed fate as he did, and it came with the added bonus of feeling the air of superiority over someone who by age, training and rank was her better.
"That is true! Ruh praise your attention to the Vigil." He said, nodding with a wide smile. "Though, don't neglect that our fate is sometimes out of the hands of anyone save for the universe itself. "
Reovan removed her heavy cold weather jacket and set it on the floor as she knelt down again by the warming lamp and held out her hands above it. "Well, I hardly think it's the universe's fault you forgot how to light a lamp," she grinned at the thought of the Temple Guard being hit on the head with a flying lamp roof as being part of the grand scheme. "I hope you don't mind, but now that I know you've got this thing, I'll probably be dropping in often."
Figuring that she may not mind his lack of formality, Mu'Tasim went ahead and took off his robe and and put it to the side. He sat down in front of the lamp, across from her. "You know, I wouldn't mind that a bit, it's wonderful to have some company in this lonesome place." He grinned at her lightly.
"Back on El Bazr," Reovan started to explain as she held out the hem of her kurti over the side of lamp so that the hot air would travel up closer to her body, "I would just do my meditations in my quarters, but you've made this shrine the coziest spot on base." She paused for a second, then added slyly, "Probably the coziest spot on Mazerin."
"Meditations are performed better in the most ideal conditions. I tried my very best to make this place as accomodating as I could, despite Habeem's horrible housekeeping. It's also a way to attract more people here, so I can reinstill some of the Vigil into their lives." Mu'Tasim said with a bit of pride, it appeared the cold hadn't bothered him since he stripped to his Flak.
Her last comment hadn't escaped his ears, "It may seem the coziest, as it is the closest resemblence to home we have here. To tell the truth, I couldn't help but think of home and of my family when I was cleaning up here." He looked up at the ceiling, "Only Ruh nows how my parents are, I've not seen them in years."
"Some definitely need it more than others," Reovan commented with more than a little venom in her voice, which she tried to disguise as a joke by lowering her head and looking up at the Temple Guard with a grin. As she saw it, their wing was full of those that did not follow, those that did not believe, and those that were trying too hard. "But, enough on that. As Muna guides I cannot wait to return again. I went back, of course, after boot camp, but you can never go home too often,"she added, trying to help move the conversation to a more pleasant topic, despite the fact that she had felt the need to get that comment in there and the fact that the topic of her own parents was one she wanted to avoid. At the very least, talking about home in general was pleasant and it shown in her face and the way she smiled as she thought about riding around the dunes on Gualmyanback with the wind in her face. She closed her eyes and watched the memories play through her head as she hummed happily, lost in her thoughts.
Mu'Tasim chuckled a little bit, "You know, you're right, I should probably schedule the Nuocr my next leave when I'm given the chance. Samasir is probably old enough to ride by now, it's been since I joined the Vanguard that I've taken Fanir's way of riding the Gualmyan." The Sund Wakir man looked over at Reovan, noticing her remenicent state. "Strange what a cold place does to us."
"We should go together," Reovan noted, opening her eyes suddenly as the Temple Guard mentioned going Gualmyan riding. "Or hook up for a day or two and go out riding in the dunes." She shifted her sitting position closer to Mu'Tasim and turned her back to the lamp so that she wasn't only cooking on one side.
"Now that sounds like an excellent idea." Mu'tasim nodded affirmatively, and then spoke poetically. "Two Sund Wakir going out into the desert for nothing, but experiencing the joy of home again and perhaps the speed of a well-fit Gualmyan. Muna would be proud." He widened out his legs a little bit, letting his muscular arms rest on them. "You wouldn't mind losing a few races, now, would you?" The grinned confidently.
"Ha!" Reovan responded loudly, her eyes shining as she crossed her far arm over her legs and planted both hands firmly on the ground and looked straight at him. "You're on! We'll see who's the one losing races." The girl welled up with pride and confidence as she spoke about her pedigree, "I learned to ride before I could walk and I've been racing since I got out of Monestary. I was thinking of racing professionally, before I joined the Vanguard."
"Ha! Malakai respects confidence, and you have a great deal of it." Mu'Tasim laughed heartily. "Though, be forewarned, you arn't the only Sund Wakir that started riding out of the Monestery. Judging by your age, I've probably rode them longer than you." He leaned in a little bit, his elbow resting on his knee. "Besides, Samasir is a Gual bred from Famasir, and anyone who traversed the dune during his time knew that Famasir was the fastest Gualmyan in all the Nuocr."
"Famasir?" Reovan asked, "Like your VANDR Frame?" She scooted a bit closer to him again, tilting her head up and clearly interested in hearing the story behind the name. "You named your VANDR after a Gualmyan you knew?" she guessed. Mu'Tasim didn't seem like the guy that would name his Frame after a fast Gualmyan he had just seen or heard of. At least, Reovan hoped he wasn't that kind of guy.
As Reovan got closer, Mu'Tasim brought his legs in, seemingly securing his own space. "Knew? Oh, no, Famasir was 'my' Gualmyan. When he finally learned to run, he could keep up with any adult that moved into full speed." His gaze shifted to her, his yellow eys seemed to possess a bit of a nostalgic feel "When he became older, Famasir could never be matched. We were the greatest team when came to being one of the Riding Enforcers of the Caravan, Fanir would have been proud! If someone attacked us, we'd fight them off, and when they'd try to run, we'd make sure that they would cause no one else any trouble. No one escaped us... No one." The glint his eye did not tarnish a bit, until he finished and sighed, looking back at the lamp.
"I'm going to miss him..."
"He sounds like he was a wonderful friend," Reovan said, hanging on to the Temple Guard's every word as he spoke of his Gualmyan. "How long did you ride as an Enforcer?" She had noted the change in his attitude when he mentioned Famasir was no longer among them and decided not to inquire further about it.
Her question brought Mu'Tasim's hand to his beard, he paused to think. "Hrm... I believe my father gave me my first rifle when I was thirteen, that was when I started to ride Famasir as an enforcer. I did that for about... seven years."
"Oh?" she said inquisitively, hoping that he'd continue and tell her more. Instead of just asking him, though, which would've been a fool-proof way of letting him know that, Reovan just sat there and waited for him to continue.
"Yes, seven years, I killed my first bandit when I was fifteen, and then began to learn to fear our caravan as I got older. I used to bet the elder riders to see who would catch the runner, Bukor forbid that I wouldn't let our skill go unfurnished. So, I'd win a few extra KD every time there was a bandit attack." Mu'Tasim chuckled.
"You had a lot of bandit attacks on your caravan?" she asked still quite interested in hearing about his exploits, scooting close enough to him now that they were practically touching. It never seemed to Reovan that her caravan was attacked much at all, but there was a lot of work the Enforcers did to help keep it that way and prevent attacks before they happened that she had just never witnessed and wasn't really aware of.
"You kidding? It was like Mu'Klamal was using them to test fury; Jafar, to test our guard; Abu'Nal, to test our strength. Every time we came out strong, and kicking. I remember picking off a Jarin flyer when he attempted swoop in on one of the transport carts, the Elders were able to get some information and have ready for a larger bandit attack.
Now, don't get me wrong, it was not like there was a bandit under every speck of sand, but they seemed to like challenging us. Our caravan only lost against the bandits once, only once." Mu'Tasim told every detail with the voice storyteller, feeling Reovan's interest flow to him helped him drive on the story.
Reovan was riveted by the tale, despite the fact that he was speaking of himself it was like hearing the story of some famous hero. "What happened that one time?" Reovan asked him, a twinge of nervous caution in her voice.
Her question didn't seem to strike at him too much, in fact he seemed to continue the same enthusiasm as before. Mu'tasim turned his and looked down at the younger Sund Wakir, eye to eye. "They tricked us, badgered us with Desert Wyrms until we fled to a ravine for cover. Turns out it was trap, bandits popped out of every corner." A dark glint seemed to rise in his eyes, "And if not for a passing Vanguard patrol, Bukor bless them, I wouldn't be telling you this story right now."
"Bukor bless them indeed," Reovan repeated. "Because if you wern't here to tell me this story right now, then that would mean that I wouldn't have such great company or a cozy shrine to spend my time in." He back was getting quite warm and so she spun around again to face the lamp again. It was heating the room and her body so nicely that she really just did not want to leave.
"Bless them even more then!" Mu'Tasim chuckled, carrying it on. "They were the reason I joined the Vanguard six years ago."
Six years ago? That coupled with the seven years he spent as an Enforcer and the fact that he said he started when he was thirteen meant that the older Sund Wakir was a bit older than Reovan had first guessed. "Hm, you look younger than that," she observed, not certain how this revelation made her feel.
"Thank you!" Mu'Tasim said warmly, "People usually get the impression that I'm actually thirty or somewhat with my beard." He chuckled, running his fingers through his thick, fluffy beard. A feeling confusion or misunderstanding seemed to come from her, "I'm twenty-six." he said, hoping to clarify.
"Oh," Reovan replied simply as she placed her hands behind her and leaned back, shaking her head a bit so that her hair fell cleanly off her shoulders and behind her. So what if he was twenty-six and she was still seventeen, that wasn't that big of an age gap. He was still a good looking guy, came from a good background, according to him he could race (and fight), and he was a Steward of the Makuori. Thinkingabout all of that, however, just made her more nervous and tense.
Mu'Tasim could tell that Reovan wasn't exactly comfortable as she looked, he could feel her emotion with how close she was. His eyes glowed, looking her up an down his eyes stopping at the opening of her kurti for a moment and then continuing upward. "It's not too hot in here, is it?" The Guard said with an arched brow, the context of the question seemed unintelligble.
"No, no. It's just fine," she answered, moving her arms behind her head as she lowered it all the way down. Using her hands to keep from laying down on top of her hair, she bunched it up so it lay away from her body. Idly she wished she had brought something to tie it with, considering for only a moment using the beaded string she wore around her neck (and under her shirt) to do the job. "Very comfortable," she assured him as she looked up at his face with her wild orange eyes. "So comfortable I don't really want to go anywhere else," she joked with a short laugh. "I wonder if they'd allow me to eat mess in here?"
The older Sund Wakir smiled warmly at her, his golden yellow eyes returning her gaze. Her joke made him chuckle lightly as usually did, "Well, that's actually my decision. If you feel so inclined, then yes, you may stay and eat here. You are always welcome here, Reovan." A thought then came to Mu'Tasim. "You know, I never asked, why did you come in the first place? You never exactly told me."
The young girl looked quizzically at the Temple Guard. "To Mazerin?" she asked. "I was assigned here, of course." There was a slight pause before she realized that he probably wasn't talking about that. "Oh, do you mean why I joined the Vanguard?" She shifted and moved her legs to the side so she could stretch them out without hitting the lamp in the center of the room. "Well, we had stopped at Barazai and as I was watching the Erla VANDR flitting about doing some atmospheric training maneuvers and I realized that that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to hop in one and go faster than I'd ever gone before. So, I signed up to get that chance." There was a bit of sadness in her eyes and her voice reflected in her eyes as she said the last line. "Though, if I had known they were going to send me out here, maybe I would've stuck to Gualmyan and Liftcycles." laughed, but it was forced. She was serious about that last part.
"I can sympathize with that, I'd have rather stayed on Maekardan as an Enforcer than be a King on this planet." Mu'Tasim chuckled, "But I meant, why did you come to the 'shrine'."
"Huh? Oh." the younger desert-born Iromakuanhe replied as her mistake was pointed out. "Well, I had to come see what it was like and whether or not I was just going to continue meditations in my room." She looked about the room again from her position on the floor, "Muna bless you, it's as close to home as we're going to get out here."
"That... Means quite a bit... " He was clearly touched by her statement and her blessing. "You know, I should thank you. My mind couldn't settle at all, I could not focus, nor bring myself to properly perform my duties over less than a few minutes ago."
The light of the lamp seemed to catch his eyes. "Looking back on the past, remembering things that made me become who I am, it's settled my mind. I owe that to you." He looked back at her, beaming, "Thank you."
The truth she could feel behind the compliment was a little unnerving to Reovan, who wasn't used to such genuine praise. "No-- No problem," she said uneasily as she shifted and propped herself up on her elbows. "Look, maybe I should get going," Reovan said as she looked over towards the exit to the shrine.
The Temple Guard's gaze dipped towards the floor, and then back up to her, his beam reduced to a weak smile. "I see, well..." He had the horrible feeling that his openess had unnerved her and spoke again, his head tilting a little bit. "You don't have to leave, do you?"
Drawing her legs in, the Sund Wakir girl prepared to stand. "Well, there are things I could do and what not. I just don't want to bother you," she was pretty embaressed that she couldn't give him a straighter, more confident answer. With a little hop she stood up and looked aside at the lamp instead of at the Temple Guard she was speaking to. "The shifting sands soon cover anything standing still."
Mu'tasim looked up at her, his head leaning back. "Well, I can understand if you have something you'd rather be doing, but I never said you were bothering me." His head tilted the other way, "Besides, shifting sands can only cover so much."
Reovan was about to refute his point, but as she opened her mouth to reply she found she didn't have any relevant quote to respond with. "That's true enough," she said, acknowledging her deafeat meanwhile keeping her from just staring at the man with her mouth partway open. The dark-skinned girl folded her arms and looked down at the Temple Guard. "Alright, I'll stay, but now that it's all nice and warm, it seems a shame to waste it on just sitting around."
"Alright, I'll stay, but now that it's all nice and warm, it seems a shame to waste it on just sitting around."
"You have a suggestion?" Mu'Tasim scratched his beard.
The girl kept her arms crossed and raised an eyebrow in the Temple Guard's direction. "Huh?" she asked, confused at his sudden questioning. "Well, I don't know, is there anything I could help you with around here?" She looked about the room once more, but it was plain to see that he had things under control as it was.
He suddenly realised how silly he had made himself seem, "Er, well, nothing really." Mu'Tasim looked around the Shrine itself. It was honestly well-decorated, he would give him that, but it was pretty boring and lonely when no one was there to fill it up. "I could use a Shrine's Aide when people actually start coming in here." He sighed tiredly, "But, even though you'd officially be a Steward, but you probably wouldn't enjoy the responsibility."
"I wouldn't mind helping out from time to time," Reovan admitted, unfolding her arms and placing her hands on her hips. "It's not like there's that much to do around here, unless I start taking up Jeibuhu," she joked, adding, "Or I could start spending too much time in my VANDR, like some people seem to." She giggled at that and rolled her eyes, referring to some of their more Frame-obsessed cohorts.
"I think it's because they spend so much time inside." Mu'Tasim agreed, though a little less inclined to gossip about people. "I mean, really, keep someone inside so long and they'll end up looking like Ruh. It must be stressful knowing you can't just walk outside, especially for the length of time someone's stationed here.""
And with that, the Temple Guard had hit the proverbial nail on the head. It wasn't just the cold that had been bothering her, but also being cooped up with no space to roam. "Even for as short of a time that I've been here, I'm beginnig to feel that way," she admitted to him as she rolled her neck around, rubbing the back of it with one of her hands. "No matter how much time I spend at the gym all my muscles feel stiff and tense. Like I just can't relax."
"Now, I may not be a servant of Ghaliya, but I may have the cure for such ails." Mu'Tasim raised a single finger as if to prove a point. "Are you familiar with the Consort Art of Ahni Meditation?"
"You think that might help?" the junior ranked Vanguard runner asked. The idea that she had been somehow lax in taking care of herself, both physically and spiritually left a sour taste in Reovan's mouth. She stretched out her arms above her head and intertwined her fingers together, stretching out so that she stood on her toes.
"Yes, Ahni Meditation is usually the quickest and most effective way to allieviate stress and forms of pain." The Vaytulri replied confidently to her question, and presented both of his hands, palms upward. "I'm no Dream Consort, but I'm actually very effective with the Message and Touch Therapy talents."
"Perhaps I could use a good massage, then," she said, lowering herself and rocking back onto the balls of her feet, stretching her arms in the opposit direction behind her. She knew what Ahni Meditation was, and what it entailed and the fact that the Dream Steward had described himself as talented at the massage therapy intrigued her. "I hope you'll have some time in your busy schedule," she wryly teased.
Mu'Tasim looked around for a moment, seemingly dissappointed. "Well, I have so much to tend to, but I think I can pull a Dahbi and squeeze you in for the next few minutes." He gestured to the rest of the room. The pillows on floor were scattered about, they seemed like they would be comfortable enough to lay on, at least, to the guard judging it. "Now, if you'd be so kind." His hand tokened to the floor, "Find a comfortable position and remove your Kurti."
Reovan was a tad surprised at how quick the Temple Guard aquiesed to her request. "Alright," she answered, sitting down on one of the pillows and pulling off her shirt, exposing her dark mocha skin to the warm air inside the room. She folded it quickly and placed it on top of her jacket, which was still laying where she had left it earlier. "Should I keep this on?" she joked, referring to the choli she wore underneith, the last piece clothing keeping her from being completely nude from the waste up. Just having the idea itself was a wild thrill to the girl, even if she was fairly certain he'd decline. As it was he could see the rail-like designs that ran down the base of her pronounced spine plates on either side of her back, obviously more permanent than the hetch hetchi she sported on her face, hands and feet. She sat back on her legs and removed her sandals as She sat back on her legs and removed her sandals as well, placing them with the rest of her clothes.
"Your choli will have to come off too, along with your necklace. Otherwise it will get in the way and cause distraction." Mu'Tasim said, taking notice of the artwork on her body. Those sort of bodily designs always interested Mu'Tasim, but such things would not destract him from the rest of her young body. All this started to make his face turn a dark coffee-shaded red.
His assertation suprised the orange-eyed girl, but it made it obvious to her that the Temple Guard was taking this serious, so she resolved to take it more serious, too. This was the side of Mu'Tasim she particularly liked. She removed the prayer necklace she wore, a simple-looking length of string tied with a variety of colored beads, each marked in a way to remind her of certain important sutras from the Vigil, and placed it tenderly on top of the rest of her folded clothes. Lastly, she reached behind her back and undid the ribbon knotted in the back in the back that kept her top on tight. She felt a shiver run through her body as she pulled the garment over her head and, while covering her breasts with one arm, placed it with the rest of her things. "How's this?" she asked as she leaned forward and lay her head down on a seond pillow, stretching her legs out behind her, so that while her head was supported she pushed the other pillow she had been sitting on away to make room for her legs. Despite the warm heat from the lamp and the blanket beneith her, Reovan still felt chilly laying there in front of him. She gathered up her hair and placed it so it fell beside her neck, rather than cover up her back so as to give him as much access as possible to her back.
"Good!" Mu'Tasim got onto his knees, kicking off his shoes at the heels. He positioned himself next to the half-naked girl and raise his hands over her back. "Now, close your eyes. Clear your mind of all worries and focus as you would during a Jafar meditation." When he was sure she was ready, his hands landed softly on her back, allowing a connection of empathy to be opened clearly between them. The rough, strong hands gently moved on her back with an unusual sort of grace. All the while she would recieve feelings of warmth, relaxtion, and a refreshing sense of calmness which all seemed to come into her from wherever he touched.
Reovan closed her orange eyes tried to empty her thoughts, but when the Dream Steward's hands touched her back, he could feel her jolt with a bit of surprise. As the empathic connection formed, he could feel her stress and conflicted feelings over both her immediate situation, concerning the others on the station, and from her strained relationship with her parents. The girl laying out before him was putting herself under a lot of stress over the different situations in her life. Internally she began to pray, repeating a soothing line within her head as Mu'Tasim's warm, relaxing emotions helped to calm and center her.
Her emotions were a little surprising, to Mu'Tasim, it was hard to believe that such a young Sund Wakir would be so mentally stressed. This only pushed him to focus more strongly on his transmission of empathy. As she began to move up to her shoulders, and lower neck areas, he applied a bit more pressure. His touch seemed to resonate a feeling of reassurance and of inspiration. Finally, a sense of warmth seemed to press into her shoulders, a warmth that Mu'Tasim himself felt for being able to pay back her company and coversation.
As she continued to repeat a calming prayer in her head slowly her emotions, too, relaxed. The assault of positive feelings from the Temple Steward went a long way toward helping her to relax as well. He hadn't been lying when he spoke of his skill at massage therapy, his rough hands moving about her back felt heavenly. She shifted her position a little to the side in an effort to get more comfortable. Unfortunately this caused her to a beat in her repetitions, so silently she berated herself and began again.
One of Mu'tasim's eyes opened for a moment, his movements slowed for a moment and the connection seemed to fall out a bit. He seemed to detect some sort of distraction, though he quickly brushed it off as nothing. He raised his hands for a moment, leaving her back to what cold air was left to the room and disconnected from the Guard. Then, he pressed his hands at the base of her back, and then pushed up to the top of shoulders with almost a burst of emotion coming from the strong massage. These emotions seemed to be similar to the ones she experienced before, but flowed like the waves of an ocean on her skin and to her mind.
When the Steward went to remove his hands from her back, he could feel her spine arch up as if trying to follow and keep the connection between them. And as he reinitiated contact with her bare skin and sent a new wave of emotions through her, it again messed up her concentration. She was trying to stay so focused on emptying her mind that she hadn't actually emptied it, just filled it something else and so as Mu'Tasim fought to relax her, her mind was instinctively fighting back.
Her rebellious emotions seemed to catch Mu'Tasim off-guard. It almost made him retort back again, but instead he only slowed the movements of his hands. He even withdrew his offering of emotions, letting her mind become more rested. Mu'tasim leaned down to say softly "You're trying too hard, don't think, just feel." The unsmooth hands began to make their delicate work again, gliding and pressing her soft skin. The warmth of his emotions seemed to come back slowly, but would be hindered by her resistance until she truly began to focus.
She wanted to snap back at him that she was trying to relax, but the truth of his words unsettled her. Her regular method of calming herself wasn't working and it bothered her. Perhaps he was right, that she really did need this meditation. Taking a deep breath, she tried to expell the heavy emotions from her body and instead of thinking back on her lessons and the Vigil, instead she just paid attention to his touch, his feelings and gently her emotional storm began to clear. Focusing on his movements, his warmth, the care he put into his work.
A small smile widened on Mu'Tasim's face, he could feel her intensity going away. Thus, the flow returned again, his emotions of care, relaxation, and inspiration come through like a river. It was at this point that the pain in his right hand was almost getting unbearably hard to shove out of his mind. He did not let this shake his focus, continuing to keep an equal amount of pressure with both hands. It was then that the injured knuckle shifted, the pain it caused did not come instantly, he had to end the meditation or ruin it completely. It was there that he finished with a circular motion of the hands and the removed them from her back. He leaned down, pressing his lips on the shoulder across from him, blessing her body. This also signified the end of the meditation. In no better time either, as when he finally straightened up a slow, cutting pain erupted in his hand, though prevented himself from making it noticeable to her.
It's over already? Reovan opened her eyes and lifted her head to look back at the Temple Guard to see if she could tell what had caused him to finish so soon. She wasn't anywhere near as skilled as the Temple Guard at reading other's emotions, and so she was confused. Relaxed, but still confused. "Thank you, Steward Farouk," she said as she sat up, being careful to cover herself with an arm and grab her undershirt. "That was quite wonderful."
Despite the pain, Mu'tasim beamed at her warmly, rubbing his slightly purple knuckles. "You are very welcome. See? Ahni blesses us with the teachings of how to correctly use our empathy for a reason. So that we may feel the pains and distresses of others, and that we may answer them with our care." said the Temple Guard, feeling more like a Consort saying such.
As she pulled the choli back over her head and tied it back tightly, making sure to first make sure that it was correctly in place and that none of her hair was going to get caught in it, Reovan admitted to the Dream Steward her perceived troubles with empathic communication. "Ahni and I are not really that close," she explained as she fussed a bit with her undershirt, getting the ribbon to knot properly behind her.
Her admission cause Mu'Tasim's head to tilt a bit, "You do? That is surprising, Sund Wakir as beautiful and as strong-willed as you usually have very powerful empathetic senses."
Mu'Tasim's words worried Reovan deeply. She frowned as she replaced her necklace around neck. "Well, I'll just have to try harder, then," she said, quite indignant. Perhaps if she hadn't just recieved a wonderful massage from the handsome Iromakuanhe, she would've reacted with a tad more hostility. As it was, she was just miffed a bit as she went to replace her sandals over her feet.
The younger Sund Wakir's response seemed to cause a bit of worry to spill on his face. "Well, it's not a matter of trying, it's a matter of those you surround yourself with. Empathetic nerves become stronger with use and contact. The reason I seemed surprised is that you seemed like the person who would surround herself with many friends, or at least family. Even riding stimulates the nerves so that rider may know when they are straining their Gualmyan."
Again, the Steward's words cut deep into Reovan. She just couldn't believe what she was hearing him say. Her family, friends, riding, all things she had used to define herself and all things she had given up to be out here on this cold rock and this-- this so-called Temple Guard was telling her that it was somehow insufficient. Well, that just tore things and so she quickly grabbed her coat and flung it on as fast, and harshly as she could, getting a little frustrated trying to worm her arm into the sleeve. She couldn't even find the words to properly express her anger, or any snappy comebacks or insults for Mu'Tasim, she just glared at him with fire in her orange eyes as she stormed toward the shrine's exit.
Mu'Tasim could seriously sense that he was getting to the source of the issue, her anger was sweltering off her. Though, he began to realize her persumptions as she stormed off, this lit a fire in the Guards heart. He shot up from his spot on the floor and the same hand that had calmed her down previously was locked around her wrist. "You think I'm trying to insult you, don't you? 'How dare he.' I bet your thinking." The Guard's gaze had lost it's warmness. "I had thought that you were at least somewhat right-minded, a person who could properly recieve counsel of a Steward, but now I can see you've got no time for such matters, nor the time to answer me so that I may truly help you." With a bit of harshness, he cast her wrist away from him. "Go, get out, do as you were, come back when you've grown up a little."
Reovan sputtered as she tried to properly express her anger, but it only came out as a disjointed string of partial phrases and words. "Wh-- If you-- Council?!" She rubbed her wrist where he had grabbed her. It hadn't hurt, but his sudden change in attitude had certainly startled the young Sund Wakir girl. "If that's what you-- I mean-- Aaaaaaugh!" she finally gave up on articulating her thoughts and just yelled in frustration, wishin had something she could throw. Seeing that nothing other than the kurti in her hand was available and still fuming, she tried again with telling the Temple Guard exactly how she felt. "How-- What sort of sandrat council is that?" She folded her arms as her orange, almond shaped eyes locked onto his yellow ones with a defiant, indignant and challenging glare.
"Do you know the reasons behind a recessed Empathatic System?" Mu'Tasim was starting to growl, anger rolling off his tounge. "No, of course you don't." he said, purposely not giving her time respond. The Guard counted the problems off on his fingers, "One, you actually distance yourself from others; Two, you don't distance yourself, but you fail to truly acknowledge their prescense, which would mean you're just a bitch; Three, you have suppressed problems you 'refuse' to acknowledge, thus your emotions do not properly express themselves; or Four, you have 'Abbas Disease."
As he continued to antagonize her, the desert-born girl had heard quite enough. It was at the point where she wasn't even really listening anymore to what he was saying she was just fed up with hearing him talk. She growled in frustration again and threw up her arms, "Nightmares take you, I've had enough!" And with having said that Reovan turned around and once again made to storm off out of the shrine. She couldn't believe that just shortly before the two of them were enjoying each other's company.
Mu'Tasim had always had rage problems since the death of Famasir. Often, he was able to keep a firm leash on it and prevent it's ugly head from surfacing. Yet her actions peeved him greatly, meaning the leash had broken. So, he said something else, something he'd regret saying right after saying it. "Dream reject you!" He of course, spoke of the Eternal Dream.
The girl didn't turn around, or even show any outward reaction as she continued to march off fuming down the hall, her dark, wavy hair bouncing behind her as she made her way back to her quarters. Perhaps a good workout would calm her down, something to take her mind off that sandrat of a Temple Guard. Or a shower. She could go see Savitar or maybe spill her problems out to Zus, but she didn't really feel like talking to anyone else a moment. How could he say that to her? She just kept hearing it repeat in her head over and over, the feeling of his own angry emotions lingering in her mind.
OFF, Fort Jarizas, Mazerin
Base Shrine
Yetsava 15, 935
26:14, Commonwealth Standard Time
Base Shrine
Yetsava 15, 935
25:46, Commonwealth Standard Time
Mu'Tasim sat idly infront of the array of statues in the Shrine, meditating softly. He was still a little shaken from earlier, and had his left hand over his right because of the pain resonating in his knucles. An exasperating sigh escaped the Guard's lips as he slumped over. "I need something to take my mind off of this..." he thought, looking down at his three purple knuckles.
Perhaps Muna was listening in, because just then a certain young Sund Wakir girl found her way into the Shrine. "Steward Farouk, are you in?" she asked inquisitively, looking about the inside of the room. Spotting the person she was calling out for, Reovan stepped in and greeted him more solemnly, "Divine blessings." She was out of uniform and dressed in more casual attire, her dark hair let to fall freely about her shoulders and down her back. Her light civilian clothing was more suitable to the desert than the cold of Mazerin and so she had worn her heavy uniform coat over it all to keep her warm.
Thank the Saints! Mu'Tasim chimed gladly in his head, greatly thankful for a visitor. He turned his head to look at her straight on, he answered her a tad more weakly than usual. "Divi-" He caught himself, clearing his throat and began to stand up. "Divine blessings to you as well!" the warmth in his words had returned. He kept his right hand covered by his left, and nodded his head respectfully to her.
"I hope you're doing well," the girl said to him, returning his nod with a mischievious look in her orange eyes. Quickly she walked about the room, smiling as brightly and as happily as kid in a candy store. She gazed in awe at the decorations and accoutrements that littered the shrine. "You've done a wonderful job with this place," Reovan praised the Temple Guard. With a small laugh and a shrug she added:"It almost makes me forget the temperature."
"The more and more this day goes, I feel as my dreams are laughing at me." Mu'Tasim said in glum tone, though did not let it hinder his facial expression. He watched her look around the shrine with his own interest, glad to see someone appreciating his handiwork.
At her mention of the temperature, his right hand slipped out of his robe and pulled in his robe a little bit. "Heh, I know what you mean, it makes me appreciate the Moon Robes a lot more now."
With a concerned look back at Mu'Tasim, the desert-born girl paused in her examinaton of the shrine, "Well, you need to smile in order to laugh, so maybe your dreams are looking more favorably on you than you think?" It was something her mother had said to her aunt on many occasions, as Dhanyata was fond of using the same phrase to describe her own life on particularly bad days. Reovan smiled at the Temple Guard and began looking over the statues of the various saints. "I hope you don't mind my intruding in here on you."
"Oh no, no." His hand went up and waved, as if pushing the thought out of the way. "I don't get too many visitors here. So, it feels good to have someone come in and bring me out of my idling meditations."
"Good, good," Reovan said as finished her inspection of the room. "There should be a law against sending us to such a place," she observed, rolling her eyes at both the absurdity of the suggestion and of their situation. "Noone used to the heat of the Nuocr should have to come out this way."
"You know, speaking of that, I've been meaning to get the Nuocr lamp lit and warm the room some." Mu'Tasim said as he turned for a moment and moved to the large lamp sitting at the center of the room.
The Nuocr lamp was squarish, almost resembling the shape of a house with holes in it's roof. It was a tad small, about a foot wide and a foot and a half tall, compared to real Sund Wakir made lamps, but it was enough for their Shrine.
He knelt down and began to fiddle with it's architecture, "I've been so occupied in the last hour, I havn't thought of it, Bahbi help me..." He sighed, and then looked up at her and chuckled. "Do you remember how they made us study scripture with these things?"
Kneeling down beside the lamp herself, the dark-skinned girl nodded in response to his question. "I thought my horns were going to melt right off from the heat in those small dark rooms," she said with a lighthearted laugh. Shaking her head at the memories, she placed a hand on the lamp to support herself as she looked over it's construction. "And one boy, I remember, got caught trying to poke out more holes with a pocket knife." Her orange eyes looked towards the ceiling as she tried to recall the situation. "His father had given it to him when he entered the Monestary, and of course it got confiscated after his little stunt." Going back to looking at the lamp Reovan concluded, "I think he got it back when he went home."
"You think that's bad?" Mu'Tasim chuckled a little bit, pulling out a lighter. "I remember this girl, actually lifted the roof off one of these, and caught her Book of Dreams on fire!" He found the small lighting point beneath the lantern and began flicking the lighter. "Now... I remember there something specific you had to do before lighting one of these, but I don't remember what..." The Guard arched a brow at it, and then clicking the lighter a little more.
THWOMPF!
The roof of the lamp flew off as the light in side exploded into a large flame, before going back down into a more comfortable, warming flame. Mu'Tasim recieved the metal plate to the face before it flipped off into the corner of the room. "Saints Dammit!" He cursed loudly, placing his hand on his forehead.
As she looked up at the Temple Guard struggling with the lighter, Reovan attempted to warn him about lighting the lamp with the hood still on, but she only managed to get out a "Arn't you going--" before he lit the thing in a pyrotechnic display that led to what looked like a fairly painful kiss from the metal plate. "Are you okay?" she asked with some concern as she stood up and walked over to retrieve the top of the lamp from where landed. "You should be more careful," she chastied him as she picked it up.
"Yes, this only proves how out of sorts I am." Mu'Tasim moved his hand from his forehead, suprisingly, there was no evident damage. "Things keep happening at a rate in which I can't control, and now I'm having Nuocr Plates hit me in the face." He stood, and looked over at her, "I swear, the amount of times my Steward did that to herself, you'd figure I'd remember that." A chuckle escaped from his weak, embarassed smile.
Glad to see that he hadn't hurt himself too badly, Reovan didn't feel bad about berating his words. Lightly placing the metal hood back on the lamp, she clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Don't we learn that the Makuori's dreams only serve to guide us, but we control our own fates?" After making sure the roof was securely in place, she stood back up and looked towards the Temple Guard for an answer. She didn't feel she was challenging his beliefs, but the girl was surprised that he had cursed fate as he did, and it came with the added bonus of feeling the air of superiority over someone who by age, training and rank was her better.
"That is true! Ruh praise your attention to the Vigil." He said, nodding with a wide smile. "Though, don't neglect that our fate is sometimes out of the hands of anyone save for the universe itself. "
Reovan removed her heavy cold weather jacket and set it on the floor as she knelt down again by the warming lamp and held out her hands above it. "Well, I hardly think it's the universe's fault you forgot how to light a lamp," she grinned at the thought of the Temple Guard being hit on the head with a flying lamp roof as being part of the grand scheme. "I hope you don't mind, but now that I know you've got this thing, I'll probably be dropping in often."
Figuring that she may not mind his lack of formality, Mu'Tasim went ahead and took off his robe and and put it to the side. He sat down in front of the lamp, across from her. "You know, I wouldn't mind that a bit, it's wonderful to have some company in this lonesome place." He grinned at her lightly.
"Back on El Bazr," Reovan started to explain as she held out the hem of her kurti over the side of lamp so that the hot air would travel up closer to her body, "I would just do my meditations in my quarters, but you've made this shrine the coziest spot on base." She paused for a second, then added slyly, "Probably the coziest spot on Mazerin."
"Meditations are performed better in the most ideal conditions. I tried my very best to make this place as accomodating as I could, despite Habeem's horrible housekeeping. It's also a way to attract more people here, so I can reinstill some of the Vigil into their lives." Mu'Tasim said with a bit of pride, it appeared the cold hadn't bothered him since he stripped to his Flak.
Her last comment hadn't escaped his ears, "It may seem the coziest, as it is the closest resemblence to home we have here. To tell the truth, I couldn't help but think of home and of my family when I was cleaning up here." He looked up at the ceiling, "Only Ruh nows how my parents are, I've not seen them in years."
"Some definitely need it more than others," Reovan commented with more than a little venom in her voice, which she tried to disguise as a joke by lowering her head and looking up at the Temple Guard with a grin. As she saw it, their wing was full of those that did not follow, those that did not believe, and those that were trying too hard. "But, enough on that. As Muna guides I cannot wait to return again. I went back, of course, after boot camp, but you can never go home too often,"she added, trying to help move the conversation to a more pleasant topic, despite the fact that she had felt the need to get that comment in there and the fact that the topic of her own parents was one she wanted to avoid. At the very least, talking about home in general was pleasant and it shown in her face and the way she smiled as she thought about riding around the dunes on Gualmyanback with the wind in her face. She closed her eyes and watched the memories play through her head as she hummed happily, lost in her thoughts.
Mu'Tasim chuckled a little bit, "You know, you're right, I should probably schedule the Nuocr my next leave when I'm given the chance. Samasir is probably old enough to ride by now, it's been since I joined the Vanguard that I've taken Fanir's way of riding the Gualmyan." The Sund Wakir man looked over at Reovan, noticing her remenicent state. "Strange what a cold place does to us."
"We should go together," Reovan noted, opening her eyes suddenly as the Temple Guard mentioned going Gualmyan riding. "Or hook up for a day or two and go out riding in the dunes." She shifted her sitting position closer to Mu'Tasim and turned her back to the lamp so that she wasn't only cooking on one side.
"Now that sounds like an excellent idea." Mu'tasim nodded affirmatively, and then spoke poetically. "Two Sund Wakir going out into the desert for nothing, but experiencing the joy of home again and perhaps the speed of a well-fit Gualmyan. Muna would be proud." He widened out his legs a little bit, letting his muscular arms rest on them. "You wouldn't mind losing a few races, now, would you?" The grinned confidently.
"Ha!" Reovan responded loudly, her eyes shining as she crossed her far arm over her legs and planted both hands firmly on the ground and looked straight at him. "You're on! We'll see who's the one losing races." The girl welled up with pride and confidence as she spoke about her pedigree, "I learned to ride before I could walk and I've been racing since I got out of Monestary. I was thinking of racing professionally, before I joined the Vanguard."
"Ha! Malakai respects confidence, and you have a great deal of it." Mu'Tasim laughed heartily. "Though, be forewarned, you arn't the only Sund Wakir that started riding out of the Monestery. Judging by your age, I've probably rode them longer than you." He leaned in a little bit, his elbow resting on his knee. "Besides, Samasir is a Gual bred from Famasir, and anyone who traversed the dune during his time knew that Famasir was the fastest Gualmyan in all the Nuocr."
"Famasir?" Reovan asked, "Like your VANDR Frame?" She scooted a bit closer to him again, tilting her head up and clearly interested in hearing the story behind the name. "You named your VANDR after a Gualmyan you knew?" she guessed. Mu'Tasim didn't seem like the guy that would name his Frame after a fast Gualmyan he had just seen or heard of. At least, Reovan hoped he wasn't that kind of guy.
As Reovan got closer, Mu'Tasim brought his legs in, seemingly securing his own space. "Knew? Oh, no, Famasir was 'my' Gualmyan. When he finally learned to run, he could keep up with any adult that moved into full speed." His gaze shifted to her, his yellow eys seemed to possess a bit of a nostalgic feel "When he became older, Famasir could never be matched. We were the greatest team when came to being one of the Riding Enforcers of the Caravan, Fanir would have been proud! If someone attacked us, we'd fight them off, and when they'd try to run, we'd make sure that they would cause no one else any trouble. No one escaped us... No one." The glint his eye did not tarnish a bit, until he finished and sighed, looking back at the lamp.
"I'm going to miss him..."
"He sounds like he was a wonderful friend," Reovan said, hanging on to the Temple Guard's every word as he spoke of his Gualmyan. "How long did you ride as an Enforcer?" She had noted the change in his attitude when he mentioned Famasir was no longer among them and decided not to inquire further about it.
Her question brought Mu'Tasim's hand to his beard, he paused to think. "Hrm... I believe my father gave me my first rifle when I was thirteen, that was when I started to ride Famasir as an enforcer. I did that for about... seven years."
"Oh?" she said inquisitively, hoping that he'd continue and tell her more. Instead of just asking him, though, which would've been a fool-proof way of letting him know that, Reovan just sat there and waited for him to continue.
"Yes, seven years, I killed my first bandit when I was fifteen, and then began to learn to fear our caravan as I got older. I used to bet the elder riders to see who would catch the runner, Bukor forbid that I wouldn't let our skill go unfurnished. So, I'd win a few extra KD every time there was a bandit attack." Mu'Tasim chuckled.
"You had a lot of bandit attacks on your caravan?" she asked still quite interested in hearing about his exploits, scooting close enough to him now that they were practically touching. It never seemed to Reovan that her caravan was attacked much at all, but there was a lot of work the Enforcers did to help keep it that way and prevent attacks before they happened that she had just never witnessed and wasn't really aware of.
"You kidding? It was like Mu'Klamal was using them to test fury; Jafar, to test our guard; Abu'Nal, to test our strength. Every time we came out strong, and kicking. I remember picking off a Jarin flyer when he attempted swoop in on one of the transport carts, the Elders were able to get some information and have ready for a larger bandit attack.
Now, don't get me wrong, it was not like there was a bandit under every speck of sand, but they seemed to like challenging us. Our caravan only lost against the bandits once, only once." Mu'Tasim told every detail with the voice storyteller, feeling Reovan's interest flow to him helped him drive on the story.
Reovan was riveted by the tale, despite the fact that he was speaking of himself it was like hearing the story of some famous hero. "What happened that one time?" Reovan asked him, a twinge of nervous caution in her voice.
Her question didn't seem to strike at him too much, in fact he seemed to continue the same enthusiasm as before. Mu'tasim turned his and looked down at the younger Sund Wakir, eye to eye. "They tricked us, badgered us with Desert Wyrms until we fled to a ravine for cover. Turns out it was trap, bandits popped out of every corner." A dark glint seemed to rise in his eyes, "And if not for a passing Vanguard patrol, Bukor bless them, I wouldn't be telling you this story right now."
"Bukor bless them indeed," Reovan repeated. "Because if you wern't here to tell me this story right now, then that would mean that I wouldn't have such great company or a cozy shrine to spend my time in." He back was getting quite warm and so she spun around again to face the lamp again. It was heating the room and her body so nicely that she really just did not want to leave.
"Bless them even more then!" Mu'Tasim chuckled, carrying it on. "They were the reason I joined the Vanguard six years ago."
Six years ago? That coupled with the seven years he spent as an Enforcer and the fact that he said he started when he was thirteen meant that the older Sund Wakir was a bit older than Reovan had first guessed. "Hm, you look younger than that," she observed, not certain how this revelation made her feel.
"Thank you!" Mu'Tasim said warmly, "People usually get the impression that I'm actually thirty or somewhat with my beard." He chuckled, running his fingers through his thick, fluffy beard. A feeling confusion or misunderstanding seemed to come from her, "I'm twenty-six." he said, hoping to clarify.
"Oh," Reovan replied simply as she placed her hands behind her and leaned back, shaking her head a bit so that her hair fell cleanly off her shoulders and behind her. So what if he was twenty-six and she was still seventeen, that wasn't that big of an age gap. He was still a good looking guy, came from a good background, according to him he could race (and fight), and he was a Steward of the Makuori. Thinkingabout all of that, however, just made her more nervous and tense.
Mu'Tasim could tell that Reovan wasn't exactly comfortable as she looked, he could feel her emotion with how close she was. His eyes glowed, looking her up an down his eyes stopping at the opening of her kurti for a moment and then continuing upward. "It's not too hot in here, is it?" The Guard said with an arched brow, the context of the question seemed unintelligble.
"No, no. It's just fine," she answered, moving her arms behind her head as she lowered it all the way down. Using her hands to keep from laying down on top of her hair, she bunched it up so it lay away from her body. Idly she wished she had brought something to tie it with, considering for only a moment using the beaded string she wore around her neck (and under her shirt) to do the job. "Very comfortable," she assured him as she looked up at his face with her wild orange eyes. "So comfortable I don't really want to go anywhere else," she joked with a short laugh. "I wonder if they'd allow me to eat mess in here?"
The older Sund Wakir smiled warmly at her, his golden yellow eyes returning her gaze. Her joke made him chuckle lightly as usually did, "Well, that's actually my decision. If you feel so inclined, then yes, you may stay and eat here. You are always welcome here, Reovan." A thought then came to Mu'Tasim. "You know, I never asked, why did you come in the first place? You never exactly told me."
The young girl looked quizzically at the Temple Guard. "To Mazerin?" she asked. "I was assigned here, of course." There was a slight pause before she realized that he probably wasn't talking about that. "Oh, do you mean why I joined the Vanguard?" She shifted and moved her legs to the side so she could stretch them out without hitting the lamp in the center of the room. "Well, we had stopped at Barazai and as I was watching the Erla VANDR flitting about doing some atmospheric training maneuvers and I realized that that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to hop in one and go faster than I'd ever gone before. So, I signed up to get that chance." There was a bit of sadness in her eyes and her voice reflected in her eyes as she said the last line. "Though, if I had known they were going to send me out here, maybe I would've stuck to Gualmyan and Liftcycles." laughed, but it was forced. She was serious about that last part.
"I can sympathize with that, I'd have rather stayed on Maekardan as an Enforcer than be a King on this planet." Mu'Tasim chuckled, "But I meant, why did you come to the 'shrine'."
"Huh? Oh." the younger desert-born Iromakuanhe replied as her mistake was pointed out. "Well, I had to come see what it was like and whether or not I was just going to continue meditations in my room." She looked about the room again from her position on the floor, "Muna bless you, it's as close to home as we're going to get out here."
"That... Means quite a bit... " He was clearly touched by her statement and her blessing. "You know, I should thank you. My mind couldn't settle at all, I could not focus, nor bring myself to properly perform my duties over less than a few minutes ago."
The light of the lamp seemed to catch his eyes. "Looking back on the past, remembering things that made me become who I am, it's settled my mind. I owe that to you." He looked back at her, beaming, "Thank you."
The truth she could feel behind the compliment was a little unnerving to Reovan, who wasn't used to such genuine praise. "No-- No problem," she said uneasily as she shifted and propped herself up on her elbows. "Look, maybe I should get going," Reovan said as she looked over towards the exit to the shrine.
The Temple Guard's gaze dipped towards the floor, and then back up to her, his beam reduced to a weak smile. "I see, well..." He had the horrible feeling that his openess had unnerved her and spoke again, his head tilting a little bit. "You don't have to leave, do you?"
Drawing her legs in, the Sund Wakir girl prepared to stand. "Well, there are things I could do and what not. I just don't want to bother you," she was pretty embaressed that she couldn't give him a straighter, more confident answer. With a little hop she stood up and looked aside at the lamp instead of at the Temple Guard she was speaking to. "The shifting sands soon cover anything standing still."
Mu'tasim looked up at her, his head leaning back. "Well, I can understand if you have something you'd rather be doing, but I never said you were bothering me." His head tilted the other way, "Besides, shifting sands can only cover so much."
Reovan was about to refute his point, but as she opened her mouth to reply she found she didn't have any relevant quote to respond with. "That's true enough," she said, acknowledging her deafeat meanwhile keeping her from just staring at the man with her mouth partway open. The dark-skinned girl folded her arms and looked down at the Temple Guard. "Alright, I'll stay, but now that it's all nice and warm, it seems a shame to waste it on just sitting around."
"Alright, I'll stay, but now that it's all nice and warm, it seems a shame to waste it on just sitting around."
"You have a suggestion?" Mu'Tasim scratched his beard.
The girl kept her arms crossed and raised an eyebrow in the Temple Guard's direction. "Huh?" she asked, confused at his sudden questioning. "Well, I don't know, is there anything I could help you with around here?" She looked about the room once more, but it was plain to see that he had things under control as it was.
He suddenly realised how silly he had made himself seem, "Er, well, nothing really." Mu'Tasim looked around the Shrine itself. It was honestly well-decorated, he would give him that, but it was pretty boring and lonely when no one was there to fill it up. "I could use a Shrine's Aide when people actually start coming in here." He sighed tiredly, "But, even though you'd officially be a Steward, but you probably wouldn't enjoy the responsibility."
"I wouldn't mind helping out from time to time," Reovan admitted, unfolding her arms and placing her hands on her hips. "It's not like there's that much to do around here, unless I start taking up Jeibuhu," she joked, adding, "Or I could start spending too much time in my VANDR, like some people seem to." She giggled at that and rolled her eyes, referring to some of their more Frame-obsessed cohorts.
"I think it's because they spend so much time inside." Mu'Tasim agreed, though a little less inclined to gossip about people. "I mean, really, keep someone inside so long and they'll end up looking like Ruh. It must be stressful knowing you can't just walk outside, especially for the length of time someone's stationed here.""
And with that, the Temple Guard had hit the proverbial nail on the head. It wasn't just the cold that had been bothering her, but also being cooped up with no space to roam. "Even for as short of a time that I've been here, I'm beginnig to feel that way," she admitted to him as she rolled her neck around, rubbing the back of it with one of her hands. "No matter how much time I spend at the gym all my muscles feel stiff and tense. Like I just can't relax."
"Now, I may not be a servant of Ghaliya, but I may have the cure for such ails." Mu'Tasim raised a single finger as if to prove a point. "Are you familiar with the Consort Art of Ahni Meditation?"
"You think that might help?" the junior ranked Vanguard runner asked. The idea that she had been somehow lax in taking care of herself, both physically and spiritually left a sour taste in Reovan's mouth. She stretched out her arms above her head and intertwined her fingers together, stretching out so that she stood on her toes.
"Yes, Ahni Meditation is usually the quickest and most effective way to allieviate stress and forms of pain." The Vaytulri replied confidently to her question, and presented both of his hands, palms upward. "I'm no Dream Consort, but I'm actually very effective with the Message and Touch Therapy talents."
"Perhaps I could use a good massage, then," she said, lowering herself and rocking back onto the balls of her feet, stretching her arms in the opposit direction behind her. She knew what Ahni Meditation was, and what it entailed and the fact that the Dream Steward had described himself as talented at the massage therapy intrigued her. "I hope you'll have some time in your busy schedule," she wryly teased.
Mu'Tasim looked around for a moment, seemingly dissappointed. "Well, I have so much to tend to, but I think I can pull a Dahbi and squeeze you in for the next few minutes." He gestured to the rest of the room. The pillows on floor were scattered about, they seemed like they would be comfortable enough to lay on, at least, to the guard judging it. "Now, if you'd be so kind." His hand tokened to the floor, "Find a comfortable position and remove your Kurti."
Reovan was a tad surprised at how quick the Temple Guard aquiesed to her request. "Alright," she answered, sitting down on one of the pillows and pulling off her shirt, exposing her dark mocha skin to the warm air inside the room. She folded it quickly and placed it on top of her jacket, which was still laying where she had left it earlier. "Should I keep this on?" she joked, referring to the choli she wore underneith, the last piece clothing keeping her from being completely nude from the waste up. Just having the idea itself was a wild thrill to the girl, even if she was fairly certain he'd decline. As it was he could see the rail-like designs that ran down the base of her pronounced spine plates on either side of her back, obviously more permanent than the hetch hetchi she sported on her face, hands and feet. She sat back on her legs and removed her sandals as She sat back on her legs and removed her sandals as well, placing them with the rest of her clothes.
"Your choli will have to come off too, along with your necklace. Otherwise it will get in the way and cause distraction." Mu'Tasim said, taking notice of the artwork on her body. Those sort of bodily designs always interested Mu'Tasim, but such things would not destract him from the rest of her young body. All this started to make his face turn a dark coffee-shaded red.
His assertation suprised the orange-eyed girl, but it made it obvious to her that the Temple Guard was taking this serious, so she resolved to take it more serious, too. This was the side of Mu'Tasim she particularly liked. She removed the prayer necklace she wore, a simple-looking length of string tied with a variety of colored beads, each marked in a way to remind her of certain important sutras from the Vigil, and placed it tenderly on top of the rest of her folded clothes. Lastly, she reached behind her back and undid the ribbon knotted in the back in the back that kept her top on tight. She felt a shiver run through her body as she pulled the garment over her head and, while covering her breasts with one arm, placed it with the rest of her things. "How's this?" she asked as she leaned forward and lay her head down on a seond pillow, stretching her legs out behind her, so that while her head was supported she pushed the other pillow she had been sitting on away to make room for her legs. Despite the warm heat from the lamp and the blanket beneith her, Reovan still felt chilly laying there in front of him. She gathered up her hair and placed it so it fell beside her neck, rather than cover up her back so as to give him as much access as possible to her back.
"Good!" Mu'Tasim got onto his knees, kicking off his shoes at the heels. He positioned himself next to the half-naked girl and raise his hands over her back. "Now, close your eyes. Clear your mind of all worries and focus as you would during a Jafar meditation." When he was sure she was ready, his hands landed softly on her back, allowing a connection of empathy to be opened clearly between them. The rough, strong hands gently moved on her back with an unusual sort of grace. All the while she would recieve feelings of warmth, relaxtion, and a refreshing sense of calmness which all seemed to come into her from wherever he touched.
Reovan closed her orange eyes tried to empty her thoughts, but when the Dream Steward's hands touched her back, he could feel her jolt with a bit of surprise. As the empathic connection formed, he could feel her stress and conflicted feelings over both her immediate situation, concerning the others on the station, and from her strained relationship with her parents. The girl laying out before him was putting herself under a lot of stress over the different situations in her life. Internally she began to pray, repeating a soothing line within her head as Mu'Tasim's warm, relaxing emotions helped to calm and center her.
Her emotions were a little surprising, to Mu'Tasim, it was hard to believe that such a young Sund Wakir would be so mentally stressed. This only pushed him to focus more strongly on his transmission of empathy. As she began to move up to her shoulders, and lower neck areas, he applied a bit more pressure. His touch seemed to resonate a feeling of reassurance and of inspiration. Finally, a sense of warmth seemed to press into her shoulders, a warmth that Mu'Tasim himself felt for being able to pay back her company and coversation.
As she continued to repeat a calming prayer in her head slowly her emotions, too, relaxed. The assault of positive feelings from the Temple Steward went a long way toward helping her to relax as well. He hadn't been lying when he spoke of his skill at massage therapy, his rough hands moving about her back felt heavenly. She shifted her position a little to the side in an effort to get more comfortable. Unfortunately this caused her to a beat in her repetitions, so silently she berated herself and began again.
One of Mu'tasim's eyes opened for a moment, his movements slowed for a moment and the connection seemed to fall out a bit. He seemed to detect some sort of distraction, though he quickly brushed it off as nothing. He raised his hands for a moment, leaving her back to what cold air was left to the room and disconnected from the Guard. Then, he pressed his hands at the base of her back, and then pushed up to the top of shoulders with almost a burst of emotion coming from the strong massage. These emotions seemed to be similar to the ones she experienced before, but flowed like the waves of an ocean on her skin and to her mind.
When the Steward went to remove his hands from her back, he could feel her spine arch up as if trying to follow and keep the connection between them. And as he reinitiated contact with her bare skin and sent a new wave of emotions through her, it again messed up her concentration. She was trying to stay so focused on emptying her mind that she hadn't actually emptied it, just filled it something else and so as Mu'Tasim fought to relax her, her mind was instinctively fighting back.
Her rebellious emotions seemed to catch Mu'Tasim off-guard. It almost made him retort back again, but instead he only slowed the movements of his hands. He even withdrew his offering of emotions, letting her mind become more rested. Mu'tasim leaned down to say softly "You're trying too hard, don't think, just feel." The unsmooth hands began to make their delicate work again, gliding and pressing her soft skin. The warmth of his emotions seemed to come back slowly, but would be hindered by her resistance until she truly began to focus.
She wanted to snap back at him that she was trying to relax, but the truth of his words unsettled her. Her regular method of calming herself wasn't working and it bothered her. Perhaps he was right, that she really did need this meditation. Taking a deep breath, she tried to expell the heavy emotions from her body and instead of thinking back on her lessons and the Vigil, instead she just paid attention to his touch, his feelings and gently her emotional storm began to clear. Focusing on his movements, his warmth, the care he put into his work.
A small smile widened on Mu'Tasim's face, he could feel her intensity going away. Thus, the flow returned again, his emotions of care, relaxation, and inspiration come through like a river. It was at this point that the pain in his right hand was almost getting unbearably hard to shove out of his mind. He did not let this shake his focus, continuing to keep an equal amount of pressure with both hands. It was then that the injured knuckle shifted, the pain it caused did not come instantly, he had to end the meditation or ruin it completely. It was there that he finished with a circular motion of the hands and the removed them from her back. He leaned down, pressing his lips on the shoulder across from him, blessing her body. This also signified the end of the meditation. In no better time either, as when he finally straightened up a slow, cutting pain erupted in his hand, though prevented himself from making it noticeable to her.
It's over already? Reovan opened her eyes and lifted her head to look back at the Temple Guard to see if she could tell what had caused him to finish so soon. She wasn't anywhere near as skilled as the Temple Guard at reading other's emotions, and so she was confused. Relaxed, but still confused. "Thank you, Steward Farouk," she said as she sat up, being careful to cover herself with an arm and grab her undershirt. "That was quite wonderful."
Despite the pain, Mu'tasim beamed at her warmly, rubbing his slightly purple knuckles. "You are very welcome. See? Ahni blesses us with the teachings of how to correctly use our empathy for a reason. So that we may feel the pains and distresses of others, and that we may answer them with our care." said the Temple Guard, feeling more like a Consort saying such.
As she pulled the choli back over her head and tied it back tightly, making sure to first make sure that it was correctly in place and that none of her hair was going to get caught in it, Reovan admitted to the Dream Steward her perceived troubles with empathic communication. "Ahni and I are not really that close," she explained as she fussed a bit with her undershirt, getting the ribbon to knot properly behind her.
Her admission cause Mu'Tasim's head to tilt a bit, "You do? That is surprising, Sund Wakir as beautiful and as strong-willed as you usually have very powerful empathetic senses."
Mu'Tasim's words worried Reovan deeply. She frowned as she replaced her necklace around neck. "Well, I'll just have to try harder, then," she said, quite indignant. Perhaps if she hadn't just recieved a wonderful massage from the handsome Iromakuanhe, she would've reacted with a tad more hostility. As it was, she was just miffed a bit as she went to replace her sandals over her feet.
The younger Sund Wakir's response seemed to cause a bit of worry to spill on his face. "Well, it's not a matter of trying, it's a matter of those you surround yourself with. Empathetic nerves become stronger with use and contact. The reason I seemed surprised is that you seemed like the person who would surround herself with many friends, or at least family. Even riding stimulates the nerves so that rider may know when they are straining their Gualmyan."
Again, the Steward's words cut deep into Reovan. She just couldn't believe what she was hearing him say. Her family, friends, riding, all things she had used to define herself and all things she had given up to be out here on this cold rock and this-- this so-called Temple Guard was telling her that it was somehow insufficient. Well, that just tore things and so she quickly grabbed her coat and flung it on as fast, and harshly as she could, getting a little frustrated trying to worm her arm into the sleeve. She couldn't even find the words to properly express her anger, or any snappy comebacks or insults for Mu'Tasim, she just glared at him with fire in her orange eyes as she stormed toward the shrine's exit.
Mu'Tasim could seriously sense that he was getting to the source of the issue, her anger was sweltering off her. Though, he began to realize her persumptions as she stormed off, this lit a fire in the Guards heart. He shot up from his spot on the floor and the same hand that had calmed her down previously was locked around her wrist. "You think I'm trying to insult you, don't you? 'How dare he.' I bet your thinking." The Guard's gaze had lost it's warmness. "I had thought that you were at least somewhat right-minded, a person who could properly recieve counsel of a Steward, but now I can see you've got no time for such matters, nor the time to answer me so that I may truly help you." With a bit of harshness, he cast her wrist away from him. "Go, get out, do as you were, come back when you've grown up a little."
Reovan sputtered as she tried to properly express her anger, but it only came out as a disjointed string of partial phrases and words. "Wh-- If you-- Council?!" She rubbed her wrist where he had grabbed her. It hadn't hurt, but his sudden change in attitude had certainly startled the young Sund Wakir girl. "If that's what you-- I mean-- Aaaaaaugh!" she finally gave up on articulating her thoughts and just yelled in frustration, wishin had something she could throw. Seeing that nothing other than the kurti in her hand was available and still fuming, she tried again with telling the Temple Guard exactly how she felt. "How-- What sort of sandrat council is that?" She folded her arms as her orange, almond shaped eyes locked onto his yellow ones with a defiant, indignant and challenging glare.
"Do you know the reasons behind a recessed Empathatic System?" Mu'Tasim was starting to growl, anger rolling off his tounge. "No, of course you don't." he said, purposely not giving her time respond. The Guard counted the problems off on his fingers, "One, you actually distance yourself from others; Two, you don't distance yourself, but you fail to truly acknowledge their prescense, which would mean you're just a bitch; Three, you have suppressed problems you 'refuse' to acknowledge, thus your emotions do not properly express themselves; or Four, you have 'Abbas Disease."
As he continued to antagonize her, the desert-born girl had heard quite enough. It was at the point where she wasn't even really listening anymore to what he was saying she was just fed up with hearing him talk. She growled in frustration again and threw up her arms, "Nightmares take you, I've had enough!" And with having said that Reovan turned around and once again made to storm off out of the shrine. She couldn't believe that just shortly before the two of them were enjoying each other's company.
Mu'Tasim had always had rage problems since the death of Famasir. Often, he was able to keep a firm leash on it and prevent it's ugly head from surfacing. Yet her actions peeved him greatly, meaning the leash had broken. So, he said something else, something he'd regret saying right after saying it. "Dream reject you!" He of course, spoke of the Eternal Dream.
The girl didn't turn around, or even show any outward reaction as she continued to march off fuming down the hall, her dark, wavy hair bouncing behind her as she made her way back to her quarters. Perhaps a good workout would calm her down, something to take her mind off that sandrat of a Temple Guard. Or a shower. She could go see Savitar or maybe spill her problems out to Zus, but she didn't really feel like talking to anyone else a moment. How could he say that to her? She just kept hearing it repeat in her head over and over, the feeling of his own angry emotions lingering in her mind.
OFF, Fort Jarizas, Mazerin
Base Shrine
Yetsava 15, 935
26:14, Commonwealth Standard Time
