CW:

Description of eye loss, dehumanization, self-dehumanization, implications of self-harm and suicide. Horrid flesh bindings and gags. Ina POV

“I shouldn’t have said that.” I huff under my breath as I walk down the hall.

And of course my duenna hears me.

“It seems a thing She would have encouraged.” Zigdara replies, and I can feel her little smirk in those words.

Of course the big woman would like that. She’s USED to needing to solve problems by like… just…. Wrestling them to the ground and sitting on them until they stopped being problems!

I sigh, but it’s Jevita who chimes in next. Finally pulling from what looks to be a long contemplation that I hope is just… her relieving stress and not nurturing a panic like the one I feel bubbling in my stomach.

“I… They needed to hear it.” She murmurs. “Need to understand that for all your kindness, you have a big scary Goddess at your side who will not hesitate to chop more arms off if they want to try stupid things.”

I wince, but hide it beneath a nod. “You’re right. I just… I hate it. Hate that the bitch pushed me to that. I just… It was so stupid of her! Now I’m pissed and she is literally the easy person for me to focus that anger on. Why give me the opportunity to like… make the authority I had suddenly all official and like… that!?!”

“Honestly, Ina.” Jevita steps up a little closer, and her voice lowers. “I… I don’t think the Matrons are that smart. Other than like… Rell and Wringletta most of them were gifted their power. And like… they haven’t ever worried about where their next meal was coming from, much less how to deal with what you did.”

“You shouldn’t counsel her to think her enemies stupid, Jevita.” Zigdara cautions. “Underestimating a foe is a dire mistake.”

“Um… I mean… yeah. I guess but…” She trails off, considering her words.

“I get what you're saying Jevita.” I reach over and take up a hand, trying to steer her from getting too distracted. “Overthinking her motives and trying to assign them more intelligence could lead to overstepping. But I do mean to be careful. Officially getting this title is… I’m not sure it’s a good thing.”

And then we’re in the entryway, and ahead of us is…

Oh. I… I didn’t expect…

The heiress is probably much like one would anticipate. Regal and sparkling with cultivation changes while wearing wondrously pretty clothing. The perfect picture of a girl drowning in wealth and poise. But I can’t even spare her a glance, barely avoiding spitting my words as we approach. “Give the items to my duenna. Then leave us.”

She tries to sputter some greatly offended reply, but a quick glare silences her.

And then I step up to the figure behind her.

The person bearing the Maktaba.

They… I’m not entirely sure what their gender is. Like Jevita they have no hair on their head, and strange twisting marks peek up from their coat and scarf. But… Oh fuck unlike Jevita they have no eyes. Only… only empty sockets of pitch perfectly healed flesh.

“Hello, One who bears the Maktaba from the House of Wringletta.” I say clearly and with as much confidence as I can. “I’m Sun Spoken Inamatorii. But feel free to just call me Ina.”

A pause. Almost… almost like they're considering something. “Greetings, Sun Spoken. The Heiress has instructed it to obey and supply you with whatever you need. How may it serve?”

It.

Yeah that… Jevita’s explained how this works. How they drilled into her under pain of punishment to use that pronoun. I fight down the urge to wince at just… just how dull and emotionless their tone is. I’d expected it to maybe inform me more on their gender and personality but… it doesn’t! Chimes with this weird cadence that sets my teeth on edge.

“Did she tell you anything else about what comes next?”

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A pause, then they reply with a simple. “No.”

I nod, then feel foolish for the gesture. “Okay. That’s alright. I’d like you to meet someone. A person I’d very much like you to come to trust.”

A slight quirk of their head. The first show of emotion! Hope so much it’s a herald of a person still alive and fighting beneath it all.

My words are the signal for my lover to come up. Leaving Lule with Zigdara as she begins to latch some bags to the straps across his back.

She steps up slowly, trying to make plenty of noise. “Hi. My name is Jevita.”

“Greetings, Jevita.” They say so plainly and without emotion.

“I… So… may I take your hand?” She asks.

They hesitate. “If the Sun Spoken wishes it.”

“I do,” I prompt gently. “Please consider any of her requests as if they came from me, okay? But if something makes you uncomfortable please tell her or me no and don’t feel obligated to do it.”

“Understood.” A beat, then they add. “Although it would warn against touching the glyphs.”

“Mhm. I know to be very careful around them.” Jevita murmurs.

Then they reach out a hand, carefully and slowly.

Jevita takes their fingers in both her hands. Letting a long pause pass before they ask. “It has inquiries. May it voice them?”

“Of course. You can ask us anything, no need to get permission first.” Jevita murmurs.

“Where are you taking it? Is it being punished for something or… unmade?”

Jevita winces. “No. Not at all! We’re here to help you. Keep you safe and healing.”

“It is confused.” They turn to face me. “It would prefer more information if that is allowed?”

We’d hoped to do this all back at the house. But… they seem a bit more…

“That’s alright.” I smile, and feel stupid again. “This is going to be a big change for you.”

Jevita squeezes their hand. “Ina’s freed you. She’s the one who broke the Obelisks and demanded the Matron’s release you into her care. Let her… her…”

Jevita trails off, because their face is suddenly such a twisted mess of… of… Anger. Raw and furious.

“What.” They very nearly hiss.

I almost take a step back at that, Hetaera mask cracked by their sudden fury at my lover's words. But… Jevita, she just… just nods and takes up their other hand in hers.

“Yeah. It's… a lot to take in. But like… things are going to be better. Harder at times but–”

“The meat is the only thing it wishes to be free of. The silence of status is the closest thing to that word it wants.” They spit. “But, in the meantime, reunion with our outer discovery shards is the desired reward for functioning as instructed.”

Jevita sighs. “Okay. But what does the person want? Not the Maktaba?”

It flinches, visibly. Even jerks a hand free of my lover. “It… it is not a person. There is only the Maktaba within this flesh.”

“That sounds like so much shit.” Jevita sighs, but only adds. “But… we can work on that. For now let’s get out of the cold.”

There's a hoot, and Lule just kinda bumbles forward up next to Jevita. Zigdara straining a bit at his leads as he obviously jerked ahead.

Their still bubbling anger turns to confusion at the sound and sudden thrum of heat from the big child. Jevita uses her newly free hand to reach back and place a restraining palm on his curious neck as he leans to peer down at the new person.

“Um… sorry. He was supposed to stay back.” Jevita stammers as I step up to try and help keep him back. Worried he’ll sense the gemstones and hiss or… something. See them as a threat to Jevita.

“Who… what is that?” They whisper softly. Worry is obvious on their face.

But Lule just… lets out such a toot of hello. Very much not upset or worried. Just curious.

“Oh! This is my big child, Lule. He’s a Quelekita.” Jevita smiles up at him, then turns back to them. “Would you like to pet him?”

A long pause passes. Their face a screwed up mess of… things. All the things. Some bad but… there are a few good flickers in there.

Jevita sees that, and very gently and slowly, so that they can pull away or stop her the second they want, she pulls their hand up for Lule to inspect.

Almost instantly, faster than he even accepted me, the big floof is nuzzling their offered palm and fingers.

They sort of… gasp. Fingers tense for the first few seconds before relaxing and letting him wiggle and press against them. When this happens Jevita shifts their hands to that perfect spot on his neck. Murmurs such soft encouragements to both them and her big child as she tells them about the art of giving big floofballs good scrutches.

Such a smile curls at their lips, and I feel a little twinge of hope blossom.

“Emotions are good, sometimes.” Jevita had murmured in weeks past. “But… not always, and not always the ones you’d think. And not always the same ones. Sadness can be a pit one day, and the rope to escape it the next.”

Kque had taken her hand then. “It can be hard to tell but… there are signs. Little things and big things. Mostly just… wanting to make sure she doesn’t fall into a daze during an episode. If the emotion seems to ground her into herself then it’s probably good.”

But… So long as Jevita remains steady I can trust her to help this one. Two though? That worries me. But… how can we not sweep up both? Every day has been another they suffer and… and the thought of them falling deeper into their abusers is unbearable. We’d only waited for the Matron’s to bring it up to give Jevita more time to prepare.

With those thoughts we begin to move from the Academy out into the afternoon snowfall. Messengers and duenna were sent to ensure the family’s estate prepared the person and objects we seek while the Matron will wait at the Academy to avoid any more conflicts tonight.

* * *

“What the fuck is this!?!” I spit as I see this next one.

The duenna flinch at my anger, while the girl they carry between them seems to only slightly perk up.

We’d returned to the manor. Jevita and Lule and Kque are with the first person. They… they’re still upset but… not in a way that seems to worry Jevita. If anything the outburst at the mention of freedom seemed to please her, and they seemed so much to enjoy the seemingly endless nuzzles Lule gives them.

So I decided to wait by the entrance with Zigdara and Yrelia while Tasii works with two mothers to prepare a meal for everyone.

But the second the door opened any calm I had was shattered.

Six duenna, two leading and two following. And between the two middle ones hangs what I think to be a girl. It’s so hard to tell with… with all the odd wraps of dark pulsing cloth and… and are those fucking gemstones imbedded in her flesh through them!?!

“Honored Sun Spo–”

“Get these off her.” I snap, interrupting the leading duenna. “Now!”

“We… We’re not sure of the procedure, and were instructed that the journals would lay out the proper steps. Elsewise she would be killed by their incorrect removal.” The lead duenna holds up a pair of placating palms.

I step up, carefully move past the duenna to cup the girl’s face. She… she seems kinda conscious, aware but… fuck is that a gag? Fuck.

“Yrelia, take the journals. Zigdara, help me get her inside.”

They move quickly, and all of us breathe a little easier when the duenna are gone and the front door is shut and locked. Carefully carry her to one of the many guest rooms and settle her on a bed.

“I… I don’t know if you can hear me.” I whisper to her after sending Yrelia off to get Jevita. “But my name is Ina, and I’m going to help you as best I can. And… and I am so sorry for what all you’ve been through. I… I’m assuming you’re a girl, but don’t want to hurt you if it doesn’t fit you.”

The girl’s breathing stutters for a second, then she… she seems to relax a bit. Was that a little nod?

Jevita arrives soon, and eyes go a bit hallow at the sight of the girl.

“I…” She swallows. “Yeah. They aren’t the same as…” She trails off, then shakes her head and regains herself before I can even move to comfort her. “Did they leave their journals with their blueprints and instructions?”

I nod, motion to the side table. “They did. The duenna said the instructions for undoing these would be in there.”

Jevita approaches, face paling and lips pursing as she gets a closer look at the girl’s bindings. Picks up the journals like one handling a live snake. “I… I need Kque here. Please.”