K'ailia felt herself being lifted up, then set on her feet. She was thankful at least her father would give her the dignity of walking out on her own feet with her head held high. She followed him through the camp.
"Explain yourself."
Her father had asked what she was hoping. She nodded, took a deep breath to steady herself before looking him in the eyes.
"It began when I was sent away from the camp to Gridania. Or rather, when I returned. The family I thought of every day since I left, avoided me. Looked upon me as though I was a stranger, an outsider." she began, her ears going into a neutral state, as her tail held limp, but slightly curled, indicating her relaxed state.
She motioned to the camp behind them, "I thought of nothing but the tribe, of the suffering of our people. And it took meeting with my sisters for us to come up with the idea of the tribe meeting."
She lowered her hand, her ears drooped, "And when I joined the scouting team to Ul'dah, I had thoughts of leaving the tribe, because I could not bear seeing the tribe destroy itself. And when I tried to tell my mother, it ended in a bad fight."
Taking a deep breath, to steady herself she continued, "But K'ile, the tia I did not much like, talked to me. I told him my feelings, and he got my mother and me back together. I put away my thoughts of leaving the tribe. He reassured me the tribe would not die. And... I expressed to him that I have no intentions of ever mating."
She clenched her fists at that last bit before calming herself once more, though her tail was still slightly bristling, "When we got to Eastern Thanalan though, that's when things started going bad. It was storming, and K'haali and I split off in Drybone to ask about the area, while mother and K'ile took refuge in the Inn. When we got back though mother had ran away for no explained reason, forcing us to go out into the rain to try and find her."
She looked back up at her father, "I was the one that found her, kneeling over a grave I knew nothing of, and we went and looked at a potential place for the tribe before returning to Drybone. We wen back to the spot, all four of us, and as we arrived, the rain stopped and Azeyma seemed to smile on us, as the sun shined on the land."
"But then K'ile and mother wanted to scout an Amalj'aa camp, and they wanted me and K'haali to look around as well together. But that didn't happen. Haali went off on her own, and I was stuck waiting on everyone to get back. So I took visits to the town while waiting.", she said, her ears perking up, and her tail returning to it's relaxed state.
She shook her head, "But then I got that letter from Gridania about K'tahjha. So I took it back to camp and found mother and K'ile hurt. K'haali said I should heal them since I was trained to do so. But neither wanted me to heal them. They wanted me to heal the other. So I used magic to mend both of them at the same time before speaking of the letter."
Again her fists clenched, ears flattened, and her tail began bristling up again, "K'ile was opposed to taking the girl. He said they couldn't even make me into a proper tribe-mate. I wanted desperately to fit in, so I had offered to give myself over to be molded as he put it, into a proper tribe mate. But then K'ile told me to think twice because he would force me to mate. Even knowing my feelings towards that, he used it as a weapon to discourage me from learning."
Her tail's tip began twitching, "Then came the day mother and I went to Ul'dah to meet Ventus. The meeting seemed to had gone well but then a few days later, I was called into the medical ward. Mother was hurt bad... she was going to die..."
She looked once more up at K'yohko, "And I used my magic again, to save her, but she wasn't supposed to move for a couple days at least. But she got up and ran away, using the Aetherway. I was furious with her, she'd been running away a lot since we got to Drybone. So I took a guard with me, given him special knock out darts to use on me if I did anything out of line and tracked her down."
Taking a deep breath she continued, "When I found her, K'ile immediately drew his spear and pointed it at my head. I was still quite furious, and I cast an earth spell that would of ended any chance of him ever becoming nuhn. But mother jumped in the way. I could tell... the two have a relationship, and I suspect it is on a mating level. K'ile had told me I was not welcomed and that I should leave. So I declared I was no longer part of the tribe."
Her ears returned to a neutral state, but her tail's tip continued twitching, "then a few days ago, K'ile showed up in Ul'dah, shortly after mother brought me my things. He said he wanted me to come back to the tribe camp as an outsider, to represent outsiders and establish relations with the tribe. He apologized for his actions, and I agreed to the invitation."
"He also told me, that mother's hip was broken. K'haz I thought had healed it. He was there when I found mother and K'ile. So I went to mother's inn room, and told her that K'ile met with me, and that I would be accompanying them back to this tribe camp, but I also knew about her hip and wanted to heal it, since I was the one that hurt her." she said, her tail finally ceasing it's twitching and returning to it's calmed state.
Shaking her head she sighed, "Instead, mother got violent, throwing things at the door I was behind. She seemed to did not want to see K'ile, or have anything to do with me again. I lost my temper and broke the door down to try and calm her down. Instead, she yelled at me, and said I was disrespectful because I said she was behaving childishly. She ran away soon after and that was the last I saw of her."
"So... then Ventus, went into a coma, and I became the new Headmaster of Ul'dah Garden. I thought of my family, and of the invitation that K'ile extended. I also remembered the ones who left the tribe, who ran away and never explain themselves. I did not want to be some coward who always runs away, never facing my past or my decisions. So I chose to return here, as an outsider, to offer the tribe Garden's aid in the move. And... to face whatever judgment the tribe would cast on me." she said. Her tail curled between her legs.
"And what I have said is the absolute truth from my perspective. I was treated as an outsider, and told I was no longer welcomed. But I wont turn my back on the tribe. I still want to help protect the tribe, even if it is on the outside." she declared.
She finally went silent. She had finally said, all she had wanted to say. And if her father now asked her to leave, she would do so with no argument. She held respect for the tribe, even after the burning powder. She felt now, her visit back, was no longer a waste of her time.
"Explain yourself."
Her father had asked what she was hoping. She nodded, took a deep breath to steady herself before looking him in the eyes.
"It began when I was sent away from the camp to Gridania. Or rather, when I returned. The family I thought of every day since I left, avoided me. Looked upon me as though I was a stranger, an outsider." she began, her ears going into a neutral state, as her tail held limp, but slightly curled, indicating her relaxed state.
She motioned to the camp behind them, "I thought of nothing but the tribe, of the suffering of our people. And it took meeting with my sisters for us to come up with the idea of the tribe meeting."
She lowered her hand, her ears drooped, "And when I joined the scouting team to Ul'dah, I had thoughts of leaving the tribe, because I could not bear seeing the tribe destroy itself. And when I tried to tell my mother, it ended in a bad fight."
Taking a deep breath, to steady herself she continued, "But K'ile, the tia I did not much like, talked to me. I told him my feelings, and he got my mother and me back together. I put away my thoughts of leaving the tribe. He reassured me the tribe would not die. And... I expressed to him that I have no intentions of ever mating."
She clenched her fists at that last bit before calming herself once more, though her tail was still slightly bristling, "When we got to Eastern Thanalan though, that's when things started going bad. It was storming, and K'haali and I split off in Drybone to ask about the area, while mother and K'ile took refuge in the Inn. When we got back though mother had ran away for no explained reason, forcing us to go out into the rain to try and find her."
She looked back up at her father, "I was the one that found her, kneeling over a grave I knew nothing of, and we went and looked at a potential place for the tribe before returning to Drybone. We wen back to the spot, all four of us, and as we arrived, the rain stopped and Azeyma seemed to smile on us, as the sun shined on the land."
"But then K'ile and mother wanted to scout an Amalj'aa camp, and they wanted me and K'haali to look around as well together. But that didn't happen. Haali went off on her own, and I was stuck waiting on everyone to get back. So I took visits to the town while waiting.", she said, her ears perking up, and her tail returning to it's relaxed state.
She shook her head, "But then I got that letter from Gridania about K'tahjha. So I took it back to camp and found mother and K'ile hurt. K'haali said I should heal them since I was trained to do so. But neither wanted me to heal them. They wanted me to heal the other. So I used magic to mend both of them at the same time before speaking of the letter."
Again her fists clenched, ears flattened, and her tail began bristling up again, "K'ile was opposed to taking the girl. He said they couldn't even make me into a proper tribe-mate. I wanted desperately to fit in, so I had offered to give myself over to be molded as he put it, into a proper tribe mate. But then K'ile told me to think twice because he would force me to mate. Even knowing my feelings towards that, he used it as a weapon to discourage me from learning."
Her tail's tip began twitching, "Then came the day mother and I went to Ul'dah to meet Ventus. The meeting seemed to had gone well but then a few days later, I was called into the medical ward. Mother was hurt bad... she was going to die..."
She looked once more up at K'yohko, "And I used my magic again, to save her, but she wasn't supposed to move for a couple days at least. But she got up and ran away, using the Aetherway. I was furious with her, she'd been running away a lot since we got to Drybone. So I took a guard with me, given him special knock out darts to use on me if I did anything out of line and tracked her down."
Taking a deep breath she continued, "When I found her, K'ile immediately drew his spear and pointed it at my head. I was still quite furious, and I cast an earth spell that would of ended any chance of him ever becoming nuhn. But mother jumped in the way. I could tell... the two have a relationship, and I suspect it is on a mating level. K'ile had told me I was not welcomed and that I should leave. So I declared I was no longer part of the tribe."
Her ears returned to a neutral state, but her tail's tip continued twitching, "then a few days ago, K'ile showed up in Ul'dah, shortly after mother brought me my things. He said he wanted me to come back to the tribe camp as an outsider, to represent outsiders and establish relations with the tribe. He apologized for his actions, and I agreed to the invitation."
"He also told me, that mother's hip was broken. K'haz I thought had healed it. He was there when I found mother and K'ile. So I went to mother's inn room, and told her that K'ile met with me, and that I would be accompanying them back to this tribe camp, but I also knew about her hip and wanted to heal it, since I was the one that hurt her." she said, her tail finally ceasing it's twitching and returning to it's calmed state.
Shaking her head she sighed, "Instead, mother got violent, throwing things at the door I was behind. She seemed to did not want to see K'ile, or have anything to do with me again. I lost my temper and broke the door down to try and calm her down. Instead, she yelled at me, and said I was disrespectful because I said she was behaving childishly. She ran away soon after and that was the last I saw of her."
"So... then Ventus, went into a coma, and I became the new Headmaster of Ul'dah Garden. I thought of my family, and of the invitation that K'ile extended. I also remembered the ones who left the tribe, who ran away and never explain themselves. I did not want to be some coward who always runs away, never facing my past or my decisions. So I chose to return here, as an outsider, to offer the tribe Garden's aid in the move. And... to face whatever judgment the tribe would cast on me." she said. Her tail curled between her legs.
"And what I have said is the absolute truth from my perspective. I was treated as an outsider, and told I was no longer welcomed. But I wont turn my back on the tribe. I still want to help protect the tribe, even if it is on the outside." she declared.
She finally went silent. She had finally said, all she had wanted to say. And if her father now asked her to leave, she would do so with no argument. She held respect for the tribe, even after the burning powder. She felt now, her visit back, was no longer a waste of her time.
