lions and eagles [ Lev + Adeline]

[silhouette]

The heat seemed to beating down on Lev with the largest hammer he had ever seen. He was pretty sure that, if he hadn’t been used to it by now, he’d go mad with it. The sensible thing to do would be to find some shade in which he could spend the warmest moments of the day, but it was as Imre had always claimed. Lev could, and would let go of all sense if he saw something he liked. And right now, Lev liked the sight of a lion that crept along the ridges of a low rise. It’s pelt was glorious, and it’s mane stood dark and proud upon it’s head. A young lion, no doubt looking for a pair of females he could claim for his own. If Lev had been a poetic kind of man, he’d say he felt a kinship with the lion. As it was, he just wanted it’s pelt.

 

Hole digging. In the sun. Humility was a virtue, as was restraining one's temper but once again, Adeline had managed to fail. She knew those knucklebones were weighted, there was no way her luck could have been bad and when the accusations had escalated into a fist fight between herself and a Shaen m'taal, having it discovered afterwards that there had been no cheating involved had created toh which she had then to pay. She had done her service to the dog, but she owed her maidens toh for her breach of discipline. So, now she was learning the lesson of discipline and what happened when one broke it. Out in the sun. But, she couldn't allow herself to think of the task as futile, or boring, or outright aggravating. No, she was learning patience and it was a task just as necessary as any other.

 

Lev was behind the lion, making sure that he was downwind the entire time. He crept forward, spear ready to pierce the lion, and dagger just as eager to finish the job. He wasn’t looking forward to carrying the lion back to the hold. Especially not with as many Aiel of different clans and septs that were gathered in one place. Ready to move into the wetlands. The very name of that place sent shivers down his spine. Water. All that water. He really couldn’t imagine what it would look like, and the truth was, he didn’t want to either. No, best to distract himself with other things while he still could. Like the lion. He was close now. Almost there.

 

The worst thing about digging holes as a task was that after they were dug they needed to be refilled. Despite having known the land all her life, the heat combined with the work wore away at her, that was the purpose of it. So lost in her work did she become that she was oblivious to the approach of a particularly large predator. So oblivious in fact that she didn't realise she was no longer alone until she heard a low rumble which caused her to turn. Jumping back even as an eagle cried overhead, the beast loomed larger as life and seemed to move towards her before everything went dark.

 

A loud shriek startled Lev, first into standing still completely, and then rushing forward. That shriek had sounded human, and the lion looked as if it was ready to pounce something. Feeling rather heroic, Lev leapt forward, throwing his spear. It nicked the side of the lion, which in turn leapt of the ledge, and beyond the thing he was about to pounce. A thing that turned out to be an aiel woman. The lion turned back and roared, before turning around again and running off. “Yeah, that’s right, run you… you… chicken!” Lev shouted, breathing heavily. The thought of brining back the pelt was forgotten when he crouched down next to the woman. More of a girl, actually. A pretty girl. He wondered briefly if she was of the same holt. Shrugging, he decided he could figure that out when she was awake again. He casually draped her over his shoulder, and walked back towards the holt. Time to find some shade.

 

Lev Costin

&

Adeline Naroqua

[silhouette]

Bouncing, leaping from mountain to mountain it felt like. A pleasant sensation at first as she saw herself leaping through the Dragonwall, it became increasingly bumpy until she found herself drifting from the mirage that was her imagination and found herself in the grasp of, well, something. Her eyes not quite adjusted to the glaring light from the sand before her, she reacted out of instinct as well as training. Elbows lashing out as did her legs, her left elbow connected hard with her assailant's head and she felt herself falling backward. Landing on her feet, her hand went for the dagger at her belt and had it at the man's throat in a quick movement. It was a man, and why she had been carried she had no idea, and she planned to find out. "Who are you?! What were you doing with me?! Where are we?!"

 

One moment Lev was merrily walking along, carrying the woman back to the holt so she could get looked at by the wise ones, and the next there was a lot of pain as the thing on his shoulder started wriggling about, elbowing him in the head and what not. Lev dropped the woman, and reached for his head. “Hey! Ow! What!” he exclaimed, rubbing his sore head. That only lasted for a moment of course, because in the next moment he felt himself staring at a rather short woman with fiery hair and a fiery temper, and a dagger at his throat. His eyes went wide as he stared at her for a moment. “Ehm. Well. I’m Lev, and I was carrying you back to the holt, and we’re…” he looked around for a moment. “Pretty close to the holt, I’d say.”

 

Looking down at the man, Lev, things began to come back to her. Digging holes, lion, darkness. If she was with him instead of out there a- That eagle was her! Shame overwhelmed her as colour flooded her cheeks as she hastily removed her dagger and sheathed it. Offering her hand, she helped pull Lev to his feet, though she had to lean back and yank as hard as she could. No wonder why, he was huge! Retrieving her shovel from the ground as well as the spears. Handing the spears back to him, her eyes were downcast as the shame had set her face aflame like her hair. "I have toh." A small voice, but it was unfair, she'd just acted out of instinct! And so soon after she'd just finished! It was... It was to be accepted, she had to accept it.

 

While he was quite sure that this woman was the smallest Aielperson he’d ever seen, he knew enough about his own kind to know not to underestimate her. Well, not much at least. The ache in the back of his head told him that this one was not to be underestimated. And yet she was so small. No wonder she’d been so easy to carry. He watched her lips move as she said something, but it didn’t quite register. “Toh?” he muttered, as if it were a completely new concept to him. “Oh, Toh! Right… well…” Sure, people had had toh towards him before, and he’d had toh as well, but… well… he didn’t want her to have toh towards him. On the other hand, denying that she had toh would lead to bad things, knowing womankind, it would probably lead to her demanding that he made her Gai’shan. He looked down on her again, pondering on the situation. “I accept your toh.” He finally said, nodding to himself. That sounded about right. “You can carry my spears back to my holt.”

 

Her eyes flashed but Adeline managed not to say anything as she reached over and took the spears back from the man, Lev. Turning and leading the way back to the holt, she was glad for having taken the lead because that way he couldn’t see her face. ‘You can carry my spears back to my holt’. Aaargh! She wanted to hit him so hard, he spoke to her as if she had laid a marriage wreath at his feet. It was one thing to be given a way to expiate her toh, but he had been so casual about it that he may as well have been ta- Aaargh! If it wasn’t for the fact that she had to carry his spears she would have turned about and hit him with her shovel right there.

 

Lev had to resist the urge to hold his spears to his chest, in order to keep them from getting snatched out of his hands. There was something about the look in her eyes that made him feel just a little helpless without his spears. He realised that none of his society brothers should ever know about that. He just needed to get a grip. She was tiny. He was huge. There was only one way a fight between them could end. With renewed confidence Lev stalked after the woman, whose name he still didn’t know. He had to keep his steps small in order to avoid stepping on her heels. How could anyone walk with legs that short? He found himself staring at the part where her legs attached to her back. Small or not, it was well formed. After a bit of walking, he decided that it was time to break the silence. “What’s your name?”

 

Turning about as she heard his question, Adeline was about to give it when she saw where he was looking. He looked up of course, but it was far too late at that point. She had to remember that she had to expiate her toh first, and that was the only thing that saved Lev at that point. That… That man! Biting the inside of her lip in order to restrain the first things that came to mind, there was a small pause where she almost did something precipitous. Instead, she turned and started walking back toward the holt. As soon as they were there and her toh was done, there was going to be trouble. Had he given her the spears deliberately so that he could trail behind and watch her? The nerve! He probably did such things with his first sisters as well!

 

Caught red handed. Lev almost blushed when he noticed that he’d been caught staring at… whatever her name was’ backside. Then again, why should it be all that odd? He was a man, she was a woman. They were Aiel. Something loomed over Lev though, he could almost feel it. He glanced back to the place they’d come from, half expecting to find the lion he had chased off right there, ready to pounce on him. “So… are you a Maiden?” it would explain a lot… like why she was so irritable. All maidens were irritable, when they weren’t trying to convince you to play maiden’s kiss with them.

 

Almost missing a step, Adeline kept walking. Was this his game then? To try and needle her all the way back, had he seen the holes and surmised it for himself? She was going to kill him if he kept it up, he had to be playing at being so stupid because her cadin’sor marked her as a maiden of the spear. Was he baiting her? She would put up with it, quietly, up until the point they reached the holt. The moment she handed his spears back to him, he was going to regret using her toh to perv on her.

 

The closer they got to the holt, the worse the sensation of impending doom got. With every attempt from Lev to make civil conversation, the maiden seemed to tense more. And it really was a shame, because she had such a nice figure, even if she was the tiniest Maiden he’d ever seen. He decided to tell his near-brothers about the experience anyway, they should be able to appreciate it. And laugh about it. He stretched, grinning a bit while he continued on behind the maiden. She could be grumpy all she wanted, Lev wasn’t going to let it ruin his mood. “It’ll be good to be back at the holt. I’m sure the Shae’en M’taal will be able to appreciate your sense of humor, little maiden.”

 

Shae’en M’taal. Why? As thankful as she might have been for being rescued, the fact that he was Shae’en M’taal made her wish the lion had taken her instead. Had he been sent by his society brothers to spy on her? To see how she was on her toh and to perhaps heckle her to try and break her will? Make her give into her temper again? Oh no, she would not do anything, not until she had finished expiating her toh. The sooner it was finished in fact, the sooner she could do something to make his society brothers cry for daring to send one of their number to play with her so. Quickening to a run, she was going to finish her toh as soon as she could.

 

Lev watched as the maiden broke into a run. And shrugged. The sun was just a little over it’s highest point, and if the silly maided wanted to waste all her energy on getting away from him, then… well… so be it. It hurt his feelings a little, but he could deal with it. It would only get better when he told his brothers about the days events. They might even let the fact that he failed to catch the lion slide. For a while, at least, after which they’d probably send him out to catch another one. Stone Dogs were like that. He could see the holt, and the little maiden in the distance, but he was in no hurry. He sauntered on, keeping a deliberately slow pace until he reached the maiden’s side.

 

Waiting inside the entrance of the holt for the man, distance had only helped her anger a little. She wanted to strangle him, or better yet kick him where it would hurt and leave him moaning and crying for help. Maidens were not there for the entertainment of a pack of dogs, and she would not allow herself to be used so. Of course, the man just sauntered in lazily as if he had all the time in the world. Holding the spears out before her as he came close, she managed to keep her voice soft as she spoke. “Your spears.” Of course, there was a chance that he could do the right thing, but she would wait and see.

 

It seemed as if the little maiden was completely built up out of anger. Then again, what maiden wasn’t? Lev tended to think that they were all decent warriors, but somehow they always felt the need to prove that they were better than everyone else. Usually ending badly for them when they challenged Stone Dogs, who were obviously better than everyone else. He smiled slightly when he reached the maiden, taking the spears from her and hanging them over his shoulder. “Well… I guess that’s the end of your toh. Try not to get pounced on by lions again any time soon, Shae’en M’taal won’t always be around to save you.” He said, grinning broadly.

 

Hefting her shovel over her shoulder, she was about to turn away when something occurred to her. Turning back to Lev with the sweetest smile on her face, she almost sauntered closer towards him until they were only a couple of feet apart. He didn’t budge at all, how cocky he was. Looking up at him, she crooked a finger for him to lean down towards her as if to give him a kiss or whisper something to him. He actually grinned as he did so, did he think he was better because of how large he was? Brains always beat brawn, and that’s why the Maidens were superior to Stone Dogs.

 

“Nevermind.” Her smile still there as her eyes lit up with triumph, she spun on her heel and felt the face of her shovel solidly collide with Lev’s head. Hearing something fall behind her, she whistled as she walked away. Wasn’t her fault that he had been too busy laughing at her to step back. If nothing else, she felt a lot better about having to put up with the way he’d misused her toh.

 

One moment Lev had been a very happy Shae’en M’taal when he had his spears back, and the maiden was walking away. He had a good story to tell, and he’d had some action and adventure. All these things made Lev a very content… Lev. Then the maiden had to go and ruin it by almost taking off his head with her shovel. As it was he saw it coming a second before it hit him. He rolled with it, but it clipped his cheek anyway. Lev could deal with some pain, but it was the shock that kept him silent as he watched the maiden walk away. And stared at her backside, despite the fact that his cheek hurt.

 

Lev & Adeline

[Wayfarer]

It was with a confident stride that Adeline made her way to the Shae'en M'taal quarters. After she had returned to the Far Dareis Mai quarters, one of her older sisters Talbitha had approached her and remonstrated her for what she had done. What was worse, by the time she had returned to her quarters she knew Talbitha was right. Not that she wanted to go and face Lev again after doing that, but toh was intolerable and ignoring it wasn't an issue. So it was that she made her way to the Shae'en M'taal quarters. Catching a few jokes about her height and her cadin'sor, she was too focused on her task to pay them any heed.

 

Entering a large room in the Shae'en M'taal quarters, she tried to ignore the fact that it was full of Shae'en M'taal who were all turning towards her. Light, she didn't want to be here at all, but she would be damned if she showed it. She was a Maiden and she would not quail before the jackals. Taking a couple of steps forward, her voice was both strong and loud as she spoke. "Is there a Lev here who hunted lions today?"

 

A section of the room seemed to part away as helpful Shae'en M'taal pointed to a table where several men were seated. Two of which she recognised. Oh no... The man she had accused of cheating at knucklebones earlier which had led to her having to dig holes away from the holt, sitting at the same game no less. Sitting right beside him, the man that she had come all this way to see, Lev. Even from here he reeked of amusement, he knew why she was here then.

 

Walking over to the table, she saw the other man whispering in Lev's ear. What was his name again? Marc. Damn him, he was no doubt whispering something terrible into Lev's ear. But, she went and stood beside Lev who was looking at her with his stupid grin on his face. At her, not up at her. Something else she hated but there was little to be done about that. Besides, that wasn't the purpose of her visit, she was here due to toh.

 

"I have Toh."

 

 

Adeline Naroqua

Far Dareis Mai

[silhouette]

“And then she hit me in the face with a shovel.” Lev said, pointing at the red spot on his cheek. It would probably become a bruise soon enough, but he could live with that. It was a funny story to tell, and his brothers had laughed over it, stomping their feet as they did. This was the third time he’d told it since it happened, and it got the same results. “I swear, she was the smallest maiden I’ve ever seen, and she almost took my head right off with that shovel. It was a good thing that I didn’t feel like killing her right after I’d saved her life, or I would’ve started something.” More laughter, and more oosquai. Ah, life was good.

 

Marc, who had been sitting next to him for the past hour, went and told his own maiden story, which Lev had already heard and laughed at. It wasn’t until now that he made the connection between his own maiden story and Marc’s. It was the same maiden. “Well, she sure had a temper.” He muttered. “probably overcompensating for something.” Those at his table laughed again. Maidens were always good for joking about, even if they weren’t particularly useful for other things.

 

A deep silence settled over the room, and Lev, who had been too distracted to notice at first, raised his head at a familiar voice. Then he cringed, remembering a certain encounter with a shovel. “Not again…” he said, which got some sniggers from his brothers. “That’s Adeline alright.” Marc said, also cringing slightly. A maiden with a temper, it couldn’t get more nightmarish than that. Lev was about to ask her what she wanted, when she started about toh again. “Great…” he muttered, not looking at her face for a moment. That of course meant staring at her chest, and like her backside, her chest was quite charming as well. Lev could almost feel her stare turn into a glare. “I accept your toh.” He said, still looking at her chest.

 

Next to him Marc was sniggering, probably because of the look Adeline was giving him. Lev didn’t particularly care though, he was enjoying himself. She had toh, and now she had to repay it. He glanced around, noticing that every single Shae’en M’taal was looking at him. “Sing a song about maidens for my brothers and I, and I will consider your toh as forgotten.”

 

~Lev

[Wayfarer]

She had to accept it passively, she wasn't allowed to be angry, couldn't be angry. Her fingers may have curled up into fists but she forced them relax as her toh was accepted. Now it was a matter of what she had to do in order to rid herself of her toh. The task set for her led to her betraying herself with a slight blush. She had to sing, infront of all of them. A song about Maidens, anything about her sisters. A certain song came to mind, but she was meant to be passive and to accept her toh without perverting the meaning of it. So, instead she began to sing of Morin, the first Maiden who then went to found the Far Dareis Mai and wedding herself to her spear alone. Although her voice was not spectacular, she was confident nevertheless as she sang because to be otherwise would be to hesitate in fulfilling her toh.

 

Adeline had a fairly decent voice, for a maiden. She carried the song well enough, and Lev was glad that he’d set this as a way for her to meet her toh. Her honour would be saved, and none of the Stone Dogs would mock her for it, because it took bravery to stand in front of a band of them, and still carry a tune. If Lev were that kind of person, he’d feel a little smug over choosing his settlement. Not that he actually thought she had had toh, but maidens were peculiar that way. He applauded along with the rest of his brothers when she was done. “You have no more toh with me.” He said, turning away from her and back to his game of knuckles instantly after saying that.

 

By the end of the song, Adeline wanted nothing more than to leave though she managed to keep her bearing and her voice steady. Everyone with their eyes on her, she disliked it intensely and furthermore she disliked the Shae'en M'taal. They were arrogant, they were rude and in Lev's case they were entirely crude. Staring at her chest like it was a goat haunch that had been turned on a spit. But, the moment he said she didn't have toh with him that was it, she was done. She did what was expected of course, she watched Lev for a moment quietly despite the fact he'd just turned his back on her and slowly walked out, ignoring what was said as she did so.

 

 

Adeline Naroqua

Far Dareis Mai

 

Lev Costin

Shae'en M'taal