K'nahli waited patiently for his answer, his mockery. For some time now this miqo'te has tried to place her under the impression that he struggled beneath the weight of his long-unspoken feelings for her, but how could that be? He knew nothing of her for the simple fact that he had hardly ever spoken to her; that was not something that was restricted by neither her nor anyone else, it was of his own volition - and where could love bloom without such basic interaction with another? What was there for him to like outside of possibly her appearance that, of course, only paled in comparison against her more innocent and far more easily approachable, younger sister K'mih? At the very most, he had a shallow interest in her that voyaged no deeper than the depths of her skin... though even that possibility was refuted by K'nahli. She was not ignorant to her own behaviour and whatever "beauty" she had to offer to K'rahto's tastes, it was definitely not worth the effort of pursuing.
"I..." the tia struggled to give his answer. Was he too embarrassed to commit to such a lie? Or was he actually suffering from the rotting remains of whatever conscience he had remaining within that thick skull of his? K'nahli raised her chin slightly as she prepared herself, waiting for him to deliver his blow. For him to lie and say that he did in fact love her. Did he think her so foolish as to believe such a farce? She could plainly see that she was not desirable in any shape or form, little though she aspired to be. Even her father had appeared to show those signs that she had become all-too accustomed to seeing amongst her kin, as the subtle, outward affection that he displayed for his eldest daughter grew increasingly more dim as time went on - his paternal feelings eternally staved off by the sharpened spear that was K'nahli. And K'mih... K'mih was but an exception; K'nahli questioned if the girl was even capable of anything short of love.
"The Nunh can have every other huntress in the world,"
K'nahli's eyes drew more narrow, not with anger, but rather with mere confusion. What kind of answer was he giving her... and why did he looks so serious as he spoke? Even she had to admit that his act was rather impressive, even while considering his many years of training to master the perfect scowl. Her head titled discreetly as a mild, feeling of curiosity pressed into her thoughts, mixing with with her expectations and diluting them down into a shallow pool of uncertainty.
"But you... You..."
Her expression quickly softened as a sudden wave of ambivalence roared down upon her and consumed the girl entirely. Everything about K'rahto's voice, his choice of words... even his body language..... it portrayed a painful reluctance and embarrassment that was unmistakable to even the cynical K'nahli. He was, without a doubt, being serious now... whatever he was going to say next, it wasn't some joke at her expense - it would be his sincerest thoughts. Though what would he say next? That she was not worthy as a mate? That even if it were her desire to bear offspring that no nuhn would have someone as cold as her? Someone as hateful as her? Something rude and hurtful, something that would go hand-in-hand with the way that he often treated her and with the way that he always spoke to her.
"....I'd kill for you, K'nahli Yohko..."
The words of the spiteful tia crashed down upon her like yet another bludgeoning, ocean wave and quickly reduced the fleeting, pacifying colours of the Sagolii in evening time to a lifeless, monochromatic shade of grey. Too many thoughts forced their way into her mind all at once and fought fervently amongst each other to claim the girl's maimed sense of focus - and in truth - served the girl little beyond that of a powerful rip-current that dragged her relentlessly out into a sea of confusion. Shock and disbelief both painted itself across the girl's suddenly-turned, submissive expression as all attempts to produce even a single, coherent word were met with naught but a closed throat. Her eyes were unable to free themselves from the constraining lock of K'rahto's soul-piercing, amber stare for several moments as she struggled to comprehend what the hell just happened. The weak glue that bound her dry lips together released under the girl's reflexive reaction as they parted ever so slightly and allowed soft, unheard breaths to escape out of her lungs that were slowly collapsing beneath the explicable, constricting feeling that squeezed tightly within her chest. Her discomfort, if not already haven proved discernible, became immediately apparent as her ears quickly dropped low against her crown as though they shyly attempted to seek refuge beneath the blue bed of hair that lay below them.
![[Image: tumblr_n6da8weY3r1s6ok19o1_r1_1280.png]](https://31.media.tumblr.com/b2e9886d1f2dbd45dc606fa82b4f8d65/tumblr_n6da8weY3r1s6ok19o1_r1_1280.png)
"Wh-...what are you.." she finally managed to stutter while arc'ing her forearms upward across her chest, behaving similarly to how one would if they were defenseless and in danger; returning to the atavistic instinct to place what she could between her and a looming threat. The girl's widened gaze grew unfamiliar and timid as they scanned over the unknown tia, her mind lost far, beneath a crushing surf as they struggled to comprehend what true meaning was concealed behind his words - and for what possible reason he saw the need to say such things to her.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence and inaction, the girl was blessed with the mildly, comforting feeling of regaining her own self-control. K'nahli snapped her eyes away from K'rahto suddenly and shattered the tension-fueled bond that grew between their persisting stares as anxiety drowned out even the faintest remnants of both her anger and determination. The sand that lay next to her was the sanctuary that her diffident gaze sought out now, for she could not find it in her to abandon the scene... as much as she truly wanted to.
"Y-You... don't even know anything about.... why would you say such..." the girl spoke once more, still unable to form a complete sentence as she edged a step backward with a subtle yet nervous movement and fought with all of her will to retreat behind the safety of a disapproving scowl - only sufficing to muster one that was barely convincing. The entire encounter, one which she had initially thought that she had understood all-too well, had in fact fallen into unknown territory for all of the girl's experience. Understanding it alone was a struggle within itself, let alone knowing how to best treat it.
Who was this person that stood before her? And who was the girl he thought that he saw before him?
"I..." the tia struggled to give his answer. Was he too embarrassed to commit to such a lie? Or was he actually suffering from the rotting remains of whatever conscience he had remaining within that thick skull of his? K'nahli raised her chin slightly as she prepared herself, waiting for him to deliver his blow. For him to lie and say that he did in fact love her. Did he think her so foolish as to believe such a farce? She could plainly see that she was not desirable in any shape or form, little though she aspired to be. Even her father had appeared to show those signs that she had become all-too accustomed to seeing amongst her kin, as the subtle, outward affection that he displayed for his eldest daughter grew increasingly more dim as time went on - his paternal feelings eternally staved off by the sharpened spear that was K'nahli. And K'mih... K'mih was but an exception; K'nahli questioned if the girl was even capable of anything short of love.
"The Nunh can have every other huntress in the world,"
K'nahli's eyes drew more narrow, not with anger, but rather with mere confusion. What kind of answer was he giving her... and why did he looks so serious as he spoke? Even she had to admit that his act was rather impressive, even while considering his many years of training to master the perfect scowl. Her head titled discreetly as a mild, feeling of curiosity pressed into her thoughts, mixing with with her expectations and diluting them down into a shallow pool of uncertainty.
"But you... You..."
Her expression quickly softened as a sudden wave of ambivalence roared down upon her and consumed the girl entirely. Everything about K'rahto's voice, his choice of words... even his body language..... it portrayed a painful reluctance and embarrassment that was unmistakable to even the cynical K'nahli. He was, without a doubt, being serious now... whatever he was going to say next, it wasn't some joke at her expense - it would be his sincerest thoughts. Though what would he say next? That she was not worthy as a mate? That even if it were her desire to bear offspring that no nuhn would have someone as cold as her? Someone as hateful as her? Something rude and hurtful, something that would go hand-in-hand with the way that he often treated her and with the way that he always spoke to her.
"....I'd kill for you, K'nahli Yohko..."
The words of the spiteful tia crashed down upon her like yet another bludgeoning, ocean wave and quickly reduced the fleeting, pacifying colours of the Sagolii in evening time to a lifeless, monochromatic shade of grey. Too many thoughts forced their way into her mind all at once and fought fervently amongst each other to claim the girl's maimed sense of focus - and in truth - served the girl little beyond that of a powerful rip-current that dragged her relentlessly out into a sea of confusion. Shock and disbelief both painted itself across the girl's suddenly-turned, submissive expression as all attempts to produce even a single, coherent word were met with naught but a closed throat. Her eyes were unable to free themselves from the constraining lock of K'rahto's soul-piercing, amber stare for several moments as she struggled to comprehend what the hell just happened. The weak glue that bound her dry lips together released under the girl's reflexive reaction as they parted ever so slightly and allowed soft, unheard breaths to escape out of her lungs that were slowly collapsing beneath the explicable, constricting feeling that squeezed tightly within her chest. Her discomfort, if not already haven proved discernible, became immediately apparent as her ears quickly dropped low against her crown as though they shyly attempted to seek refuge beneath the blue bed of hair that lay below them.
"Wh-...what are you.." she finally managed to stutter while arc'ing her forearms upward across her chest, behaving similarly to how one would if they were defenseless and in danger; returning to the atavistic instinct to place what she could between her and a looming threat. The girl's widened gaze grew unfamiliar and timid as they scanned over the unknown tia, her mind lost far, beneath a crushing surf as they struggled to comprehend what true meaning was concealed behind his words - and for what possible reason he saw the need to say such things to her.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence and inaction, the girl was blessed with the mildly, comforting feeling of regaining her own self-control. K'nahli snapped her eyes away from K'rahto suddenly and shattered the tension-fueled bond that grew between their persisting stares as anxiety drowned out even the faintest remnants of both her anger and determination. The sand that lay next to her was the sanctuary that her diffident gaze sought out now, for she could not find it in her to abandon the scene... as much as she truly wanted to.
"Y-You... don't even know anything about.... why would you say such..." the girl spoke once more, still unable to form a complete sentence as she edged a step backward with a subtle yet nervous movement and fought with all of her will to retreat behind the safety of a disapproving scowl - only sufficing to muster one that was barely convincing. The entire encounter, one which she had initially thought that she had understood all-too well, had in fact fallen into unknown territory for all of the girl's experience. Understanding it alone was a struggle within itself, let alone knowing how to best treat it.
Who was this person that stood before her? And who was the girl he thought that he saw before him?
![[Image: ecec20e41f.png]](https://puu.sh/xvMxb/ecec20e41f.png)
Characters: Andre Winter (Hy'ur) / K'nahli Yohko (Miqo'te)
