Maeka- Gods

Maeka was sure that they had some sort of plan. Either that, or they were some of the most diligent Caretakers that she had ever had the privilege of being watched over by. It seemed that every time she woke up, there was a bowl of food of some sort awaiting her. She was kept comfortable, some sort of covering being given her after some time, and on occasion one of the beings would sit with her as she ate. She could not understand them, and they could not understand her, but she felt that same peace as before in their presence. She was unsure how much time had passed, she had no way to look at the sky here. Perhaps it simply didn't exist. Perhaps she was indeed in the Lesser Brother's realm now. That was as good a possibility as any. If such was the case, she simply felt all the more frustrated at her kin for their portrayal of what it would be like to be found in his company. So far, to admit the truth, she didn't find it all that bad.

The beings were similar to each other, but different. Much like her own kind. Some had far darker skin than the one she had first met. Others had stranger configurations of fur on their heads. But they all seemed similar in that their prodigious height and girth caused her no end of awe and wonder. They regularly seemed to do things that she still was unsure of. At one point one of them had raised their hand, stated a single strange word, and suddenly all light vanished. She had admittedly screamed at that sudden dark taking over, but another word, and the light returned, the expression on the being's face reading one of great worry. She had calmed down after that, and the being (she presumed it was female like herself, they shared enough physical similarities that she deemed it alright to herself),  after checking her, had stated the word yet again. The darkness engulfed them yet again, but this time Maeka was fascinated more than scared. If they could send the light away, and bring it back with but a word, what other strange abilities did they have? She tingled with a fearful curiosity.

The one that had saved her tended to visit the most often. He had brought her many foods when she was awake, several of which she had never tasted before. She was unsure of these, but seeing the expression on his face, she had made to attempt to eat them. After all, she would not risk gaining their ire now. To her shock and surprise, she found these foods to be most delicious. Several of them were meat, she could tell. But the kind of meat was new to her, and in many cases, she was amazed to find that much of what they offered had a strange texture of sweetness, and heady flavor that she had never experienced before. She gorged herself on these meats, much to her savior's amusement, and after some time of this, he was sure that by now he understood the words for 'thank you' in her own speech. Meat was a delicacy in all but the hot months, and to have it so regularly was astonishing. Normally, it was only the Hunters that had the privilege to Feast more than once every few Cycles, and even they were not offered meats so commonly!

At the thought of this, Maeka laughed openly at this irony as she realized it, causing her current watcher to regard her curiously for a moment. It was only for a moment though, as the female with her simply gave a grin. Perhaps it recognized her mirth somehow! Or perhaps it was simply laughing at her foolishness? That did not sour her mood however, as she bit into yet another piece of tasty meat. 'To think, that one so apart and spited by their Clan would be in such a state! In comfort at all hours, taking my fill of fruits and sweetmeats!' Although a part of her was indeed concerned about what price these beings, so plentiful with their offerings, might try to take of her, she found herself caring less and less.

"She seems to be doing a lot better," Captain Louis proclaimed as he looked over the digital charts showing his guest's vital signs. "I don't know what was up with her immune system, or her musculature development, but I think that the measures that we've taken have helped with that." They'd found that the poor girl had several deficiencies; fortunately the AI had confirmed that several supplements and medicines to promote growth and restoration in those areas would indeed function well enough on her. Perhaps not to the same effectiveness due to metabolism differences, but it wouldn't harm her, so they elected to give it a shot. Nancy was still concerned, especially over giving her more capability than she had had originally, but she had been outvoted. Their 'guest' also devoured food like a starving beast, which she may well have been until they had found her, but she at least had enough manners to say something every time she finished her meal. He was pretty sure what 'thank you' meant in her language now...

"It's about time," Rodrick quipped. "She's been in here for about a week and a half." They had continued their mission of locating mineral lodes of Cordilium, and much to their delight, managed to find a vein that wasn't too far on hovercraft. They would have to craft an exhibition out to the area to get the miners set up sooner than later. "I'm just glad she hasn't tried to trash anything."

Louis rolled his eyes; he had, in what he would describe later as a 'fit of good-natured mania', released the shackles binding her other arm and feet one night. To their surprise, she hadn't bolted immediately, instead simply staring at her free limbs before clambering to a sitting position, and resuming eating. That had personally convinced Louis that she had no intentions of running anytime soon. In fact, the way she had stared at them- him especially- was something akin to admiration if he was reading her right. Which he admitted to himself that he might not be; her iris and pupils were essentially the same color, and she had no real whites to contrast them. Every time he looked into her eyes, he felt as though he was looking into a strange, yet beautiful dark sea. One that he did not want to surface from anytime soon. Perhaps it should have been a warning, but he had never gotten anywhere by being paranoid. Some caution was good. Being afraid to take some risk just wasn't him, however.

"Nope, she's been a model guest really," Basil opined as he turned the corner towards them. "I take it we're going to be doing it soon?" Although they had agreed to utilize the Nanobots, they had wanted her to be in better shape, just in case the shock took too much of a toll on her. Part of that was rectifying her physical problems. The other part of it...

"Might be best if we do it tonight." Waiting for too long probably wouldn't work out for the best...just in case that desire to hang around waned after too long.

Maeka had been feeling better than she had in ages, and she hadn't a clue as to why. She hadn't coughed in quite some time, and her breath was not as short as it used to be. Her muscles felt strong, bones far less achy. Part of her wondered if this was *their* doing, but even their efforts couldn't change her personally, could they? Not even Kai-lo-Ra, for all his supposed greatness, directly adjusted his blessed children. She privately rued that fact for quite some time, to tell the truth.

The wall split open again; she had become far less surprised by the act by now, although it was still quite amazing to witness personally. However, when four beings came through, she felt her heart quicken. Never before had so many come to see her at once. Sometimes one, and sometimes two, but never more than that at a time. They looked at her with a variety of expressions; her savior was smiling, but his eyes held concern. The darker skinned one was calm, through and through. A slightly lighter skinned one with interesting fur on his face held a content smile, and the last of them, one of the females, looked at her with eyes that reminded her of a Hunter; someone waiting for a target to move. She grew nervous. 'Is this it? Do they take now, instead of give? Is this my due?' As these thoughts whirled through her head, she once again locked eyes with her savior… and suddenly her heartbeat calmed, her tension unwound just a bit. His smile widened slightly, but then he spoke. To her, but she still couldn't understand him. The darker one responded, however, and spoke a word that she had heard often now, when they spoke to her savior. The female nodded, and spoke as well- and there was that same word.

What was that word? Would she die without knowing? Could she ask? SHOULD she ask?

Well...perhaps these were her last moments. To not try...

She pursed her lips, and made a sound as she looked at him. "Llu-hiss..."

At once they all widened their eyes, and looked upon her with clear surprise. The other three in the room quickly looked at her savior, and she knew that she had spoke correctly. And so she said it again; faster this time. "Luhiss."

There were other words spoken now, faster, and to her surprise the darker one was speaking with much more joy in his voice. The female put her hand to her face, and the other two - in particular her savior - smiled widely, and then nodded at her- then the one with the interesting face fur. Then he turned back to her as the face furred man moved, but she was too lost in those strange eyes to notice where he was going. Perhaps to read more symbols? That happened sometimes. Putting a hand to his chest, he nodded. "Luhis." Then he stuck his arm out, pointed towards the darker man. "Rhadrik."

Ahh- and at once it made sense. Names! Of course they would have names. "Rhadrick." She nodded respectfully at him, and he at her in return.

"Nansee." The female. Interesting.

"Nansee." She seemed a bit wary, but nodded in turn. That only left the last one...wait, where was-

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt a hand on her shoulder, but as she turned to look, she could only feel a searing, blinding pain as she felt something jab into the small of her back. It was as if her entire body was on fire for a precious few seconds, and she felt something strange and liquid release inside of her. Her mouth tilted back in a soundless scream, and for a few moments she wondered in broken thoughts if this was the end- that perhaps all of this was simply ceremony to some sort of sacrifice.

Then the object was removed, and she felt something, something sticky and smooth cover the epicenter of where the pain came from. It sent a pleasing chill throughout her far too warm body, and as quick as she had felt the horrid burning, it was gone, leaving her to wonder what had just happened. The being's hand left her, and his face came into view. "Basil." Ah...so that was his name. Panting hard from her sudden strike, it was here that she felt perhaps she should respond with her own. A part of her knew that she should be worried more than ever now, and yet as she breathed clearer bigger than she ever had before, she could not find it in herself to worry overmuch.

"Maeka..." They seemed pleased with the response, and her savior - Luhiss - spoke. "Maeka, hello." Strange. He sounded clearer, like there had been a fog in her head that had suddenly lifted. But what had he- what had Basil - to her? She started to ask him this, but her question was lost to the nether as her skull started pounding. It was not a true pain, but it caused her eyelids to sink, her countenance becoming more drowsy than she had been in some time. Before she could complain, she was out like a light.

Louis wasn't amused, and he fixed Basil with a hard frown as she slipped unconscious. "I mean...did you really have to go and surprise her like that?"

“Generally better if they don't know what's coming,” he responded easily. “Gives them less time to panic, or question, or maybe get their body out of alignment. This way, it happens quick and easy. A quick dab of gel on her back, and she's right as rain!”

“Hmm.” Louis just frowned at the suggestion, but he didn't say anything. What was done was done, and he would simply have to work with it. “How long should it take for the bots to work out, do you think?”

Basal affects a thoughtful look at that question, and it's a minute before he answers. “First time it's really been used like this, I think. Couldn't say.”

That wasn't what Louis was expecting to hear. “What do you mean, ‘couldn't say’?”

“Well,” Basil started, “I'd wager that for a species that's used to speaking several languages, it can be a matter of days at worst. As far as I'm aware though, it's never worked on a species that has had absolutely no concept of another language. Don't know if that's the case here in particular, but I'm betting that it is. And if so, I can guess that it's probably going to take awhile for her to make sense of things like we are.”

Louis grunted in mild frustration; the logic was sound, but that didn't mean he was pleased with it. “We can't keep her cooped up in there forever. If for no other reason than musculature health. When she wakes up, will go back in, and we'll have her walk around a bit. Hopefully she won't be so scared of that she won't be up for a little exercise.”

“What about security measures?” Rodrick asked. “She’s going to be walking around, we're going to need to have someone keep an eye on her. Rotating assignment?”

“That's what I would suggest,” Nancy spoke up. “Make sure to have two individuals on her at all times. Keep her from getting her nose into anything too delicate. We let that happen until she's one hundred percent stable, and then let her go.” There was a brief pause as she thought over her own words. “On that topic, when and where are we looking to let her go?”

“Not back out internet winter cold, I can say that much,” Louis said quickly. “Whatever species she is, I sincerely don't think she's made to survive that. And I don't think she really had much option otherwise. We let her back out into that, even as healthy as she’d be, and I don't think she'll survive for very long. Heck, I don't think we would do all that hot out there without our exosuits.”

“Thank goodness for thermal insulation,” Rodrick agreed. “So she'll be our houseguest until the snow stops? Can't say I've got a problem with that. Kinda reminds me of this show I used to watch when I was a kid…”

“Let's save the Rodrick Youth Story Time for dinner,” Nancy interrupted. “You know Casey and Micheal love to pick at you, and for me that's the highlight of those little tales of yours,” she said with a grin.

“That's how you know it's a memorable story,” Rodrick started with a smirk of his own. “It draws enough attention to even have a peanut gallery!”

When she woke up again, Maeka felt... different. What exactly had changed, she couldn't say, but her head felt lighter and heavier at the same time. She felt restless, and everything she looked at seemed to have a brighter, more vibrant hue. She was still in this room, but surely she could stand now, right? She wasn't sure what they had done to her, but surely it had something to do with her newfound state? They had fed her, let her rest, and one of them had… touched her. Merely touched her, and suddenly this new clarity! So quickly, so easily! Her heart was pounding, stronger than it was. For once she did not feel like it would burst from her chest in flames! In a fit of curiosity, she tore off the blanket that had covered her and warmed her so well. Taking a deep breath, one without shuddering or shaking, she lept- lept!- out of what had become her bedding for so long.

Her landing was… not as graceful as she had hoped. Upon impact, a loud thump rising from the strange ground, she felt her legs tingle and prickle in the most uncomfortable of ways, before she collapsed down to her rear, howling in surprise. ‘What… what has happened to me? I felt so well earlier…’

The world split open, and she jerked her head in surprise. The one she now recognized as Luhiss was there, as he often was. His eyes again met hers, but this time they quickly shifted to see her state in full, and Maeka Felton abnormal heat fill her cheeks, as well as an intense desire to look away. True embarrassment like this was not something she was used to feeling, and she found herself oddly wishing that perhaps she should have stayed in that bedding.

However, he did not seem to find it amusing. His brow creased with worry, and instead of saying anything, he began to walk over to her. Before she could protest, he extended a hand to her.

She found herself in trapped by those strange eyes yet again. ‘He...still wishes to help me.’ It was then she realized. Of course he was. He had done nothing but since encountering her. Some sort of sacrifice would have been completed by now, right? And clearly if you meant to do something else with her, he would have long done so, wouldn't he have? Unless there was something beyond her comprehension at stake… but as she started to worry again, she took a deep breath, and that strange scent of peace and contentment filled her once more. ‘Perhaps…’ she thought, using that powerful word again. ‘Perhaps I will trust this being. I will trust it...and see what becomes of me.’

And so she took his hand.

He lifted her up with incredible ease- her body lifted off the ground for a moment, and briefly she realized that her first impressions were right- this being was impossibly strong, and she was supported by that strength as her legs threaten to give out from under her yet again. His hands were warm, and exuded comfort, and she felt as though this was just right. He spoke words, what's that she could still not understand, but it seemed to be a bit clearer, as though perhaps it was less completely strangely, and more as though he were speaking words that she should have remembered, but simply could not. With a gentle tug, he moved and she followed. He guided her to the wall, her steps trembling and careful, but he was patient. They ended where often it would split at their command. It did so again, and for the first time she was able to truly see what lay beyond.

And her mind spun. Spun and spun and spun, and the more she saw the more it spun, and at some point she found herself wondering if she ever wanted to make it stop. Wherever she was, it was wondrous, and impossible. These beings had full control over every aspect of wherever they were. The very walls moved at their command. They needed only to point at a symbol, and what they desired was made manifest. Even food was of no concern for them, as they merely spoke the word, and something invisible- something she could only presume was some kind of spirit- would respond, and do as it was bade. Even the elements themselves were under their command, to an extent- it could be variably hot and cold in certain areas, and at a phrase even that could be changed. There were constructs that seems to be made out of light itself- the power of Kai-lo-Ra manifested and captured for their own use!

She may not have appreciated a god-like others may have wanted her to, but she did not doubt his existence. And for these beings to be able to do what he did, and manipulate it as they desired?

‘What are these beings?’ She wondered to herself as she saw one speak, and fruits appeared before her in an alcove. ‘How...why?’ These questions went unanswered, as the being that she was watching saw her, its head with flowing hair and dusky skin, the female, eyes a rich brown that reminded her of sweet nuts she had at times. With a smile, it spoke again, and at its word, there was an assortment of sweetmeats!

‘So casual, so simple!’ “Amazing…” she let that slip out locally, and the being laughed lightly as it offered her the meats. She took them gratefully, and the being nodded in approval before she went on her way. Luhiss small down at her as she looked in his eyes with astonishment. With no effort, and freely, they had given her food, shelter! They commanded the elements so freely, and so readily! Her body, even, improved and changed at a touch! Reality seemed no obstacle to them, the impossible a trifle. They lived a life of plenty and ease, and they shared all of this with her, and asked for nothing in return! This was incredible! This was bliss! This was...was…

...unfair.

All that she had been given, all that she had been offered, and she had merely taken and taken, and had granted nothing back. Even when she was sickly, even when her bones cried and her heart stung and her lungs tore, even for the Kai-Ai that never respected her, she knew, understood that such care deserve to be repaid. The clan had spurned her attempts at repayment...but these almighty beings, these...gods?

Yes. It wasn't something that caused her shock, the more she considered it. With all that they could do, how could they not be called gods? That was the only thing that made sense even to her mind.

These gods, that could do as they pleased. She knew her attempts at repayment in the old fashioned would be rejected. They had no need for such paltry devices as she offered. But perhaps she could repay them a different way. She did not know how, but perhaps she could find out.

‘I will follow these gods,’ she decided as she was gifted a different place to sleep. The room was hers entirely, none else were nearby. It was large, the size of the Elder’s own. Because of course it was. They could do this. The bedding was softer than the best reeds and grass she had ever lain on, the blanket more comforting than the finest of pelts, and the soft light that emitted from the area yet still reminded her of moonlight. Strange symbols yet surrounded her; symbols of their kind, perhaps of divinity. In this place of supreme comfort and rest, and hale and heartier than she had ever been, she made her vow, quiet and solemn.

"I will follow these gods, in whatever ways they allow, and I will see what they make of me." And with that promise embedded in her chest, and the eyes of Luhiss in her mind, she fell asleep, and dreamed.