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'BACKYARD' BEHIND XOCHI'S HOUSE - AFTERNOON
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Xochi tills the hard soil, following Erika's instructions to create her own little garden paradise, it's proven to be hard work, but thus far Xochi has enjoyed getting her hands dirty for once in her life, breaking up the plot of land she picked up, a sack of nutrient rich soil Erika provided, along with the starter plants she picked out, all sitting nearby.
Louma is having a day, of sorts. She was on a rare day off, and yet spent the morning going back and forth on whether she should find Brun and discuss the previous night's event with her, or find Xochi and warn her about the royal guard. She hadn't wanted to approach the coatl before, foolishly hoping that the crab's rumor was just that. Now, she's flying low over the rooftops, searching for a familiar shape among the streets and backyards.
Xochi sets her tools aside to get a drink, taking a moment to luxuriate in the heat that others say can get a bit oppressive, but while perhaps a bit dry, it otherwise suits the snake just fine.
Louma spots a long tail behind one home, smiling briefly before circling back around and making a shallow dive, landing in the street out front with a soft thud. She slithers up to the front door, adjusting the plain cotton shirt as her wings fold away, then knocks firmly twice.
Xochi perks up hearing the knock at her front door. She sheds her gloves and sets down her glass then heads back inside and to the front, opening the door with a smile. "Ah! Louma! My friend, please come in! I was just gardening, or beginning to garden. The garden is not much of a garden yet, to be telling the truth."
Louma chuckles, giving a slight bow to Xochi in greeting. "Good afternoon, thank you!" She enters as asked, drawing her tail close so as to not be in the way of the door. "I saw it from overhead, your yard has a lot of potential. What sparked the interest?"
Xochi waits for Louma to be full inside before closing the door. The home is rather sparse, but well taken care of, "I have always wished to have my own garden. I met a young one named Erika who had a beautiful garden, and she gave me help in where and how to begin. The rest shall be down with my own blood and labor."
Louma nods, smiling brightly. "Ah yes, Erika has that effect on people. I don't cross paths with her very often, which is a shame." She takes a look around the interior, chuckling lightly. "I see we have similar tastes in decor. Namely, very little."
Xochi frowns slightly, "Ah, that is because I own very little..." She glances back and forth as if confirming they are alone, "Since I... left, I was unable to acquire anything personal from the manor where I was raised. There is a bed upstairs left by the previous owner. And my... 'neighbor', and I have become good friends. Kira has been leaving small gifts that I have been decorating with, mostly upstairs at this point."
Louma bows her head slightly. "Ah, I didn't mean it in a negative way, my apologies. I've simply found that the average home here is too small for me to be comfortable with a lot of furniture."
Xochi chuckles, "I quite understand. I simply wish there were more... personalization, I suppose. But it shall come in time!"
Louma smiles, though it's hard to maintain, and her tone becomes a little more quiet. "Speaking of home, I have unfortunate news. A snake by name of Aktzin has arrived in Respite. He came here on rumors of a winged snake, which brought him to me, but it would seem he's convinced there's another in hiding."
Xochi 's smiles fades in an instant when the Aktzin is mentioned, her expression turning to a pained one, "Oh... Aktzin..." She closes her eyes, and slumps back onto her coils, "Of course he's here... of all people... of course Aktzin would come."
Louma cautiously approaches Xochi, her head still bowed. "He was talking about taking you back. Will you let him?"
Xochi shudders slightly, then shakes her head, "I... I will not. I will never go back, one way or another." She sighs again, clearly pained, "Ahh... why did it have to be Aktzin?"
Louma sighs, leaning back as her tail coils up behind her. "Alright, then you wont go back, and we will try to make sure you can stay here as long as you like. But I need information. Tell me everything you are comfortable with about him, please."
Xochi is silent for a moment, then nods. "He is... was my bodyguard. Last child of the Scale Guard, his father was assigned to protect me. When he died, the duty passed to his son, Aktzin. We grew up together... he was my only friend." She sighs, "But I fear he felt more for my title then for me. He was loyal to Her, to XochiCoatl. Never to Xochi, who just wanted her old childhood friend to talk to."
Louma frowns, nodding slowly. "Oh Xochi, I'm sorry... That must have been such a lonely life..."
Xochi nods slowly. She takes a moment to speak again, her voice shakey. "It is... better now. Getting better." She smiles at Louma before she resumes, "I... didn't tell him, when I began to plan to leave. I just hoped that my death would let him move on from the old ways at long last."
Louma moves to hug Xochi, but stops, a feeling of impropriety welling up about the coatl. "He wasn't convinced, but that goes without saying. I don't know what to do unless he does something first, though. All we can do is try to convince him you're not here, and protect you if that fails."
Xochi sees Louma make a move forward, only to stop. She frowns and looks away, "Maybe I should talk to him? Let him see me like this? Let him see me happy? I always hated the deceptions required for me to reach this place."
Louma looks at Xochi, pausing before a sigh. "It could work. Perhaps if you can bring back memories of his childhood friendship with you..." She shrugs, resting back on her coils again. "If that's what you think is best, we can only try."
Xochi shakes her head, "I would prefer to avoid violence. I will see no more blood because of my lineage." she places a hand against her chest, "Unless it is my own."
Louma shakes her head. "No blood at all, even your own." Louma bows to Xochi, coming back up with a weak smile. "Well, that's probably the best solution we have. It's either that or keep hiding you until he gives up, and if we do that, your garden will never be completed."
Xochi smiles slowly, "You... did tell me that if I was always afraid, then I would never truly be free, yes? Hiding like that... just makees this another prison."
Louma nods, finding her smile properly. "I'm flattered you remembered that. Come, will you show me the garden your freedom is going to nurture? The heavy topic in here is making the room feel stifling."
Narrator: To say that Aktzin had been 'trained' in scale guard would be misleading, by the time he was old enough to learn anything of note, they were all dead, and all was left was duty, honed over decades, and it was never going to quite replace the skills he knew he could have learned..but it gave him determination, one which left him stay on watch for hours on end, to track the movements of Louma, and carefully..oh..oh so carefully, find where she had gone...so it was now he emerged, coming into view "It sseemss that you are quite the medium, to be sspeaking so eassily with a ghosst" Addesssing Louma, he looked to Xochi...pained....he had heard. She had lied to him, and left him..and..that hurt. It was duty that had driven him, true, but duty is all that a guard is allowed. Anything more was forbidden, and he couldn't let down the honour of the Guard....
Xochi turns and gasps at the voice, "Aktzin..."
Louma snaps around to face Aktzin, startled by his sudden appearance. "Oh, perhaps that's why the room felt too full." She observes his posture and expression, feeling tense due to his surprising arrival, but keeping her hands down. She glances to Xochi, looking for any hint of what she plans to do in this situation.
Aktzin takes a soft breath, and that pain and hurt was wrapped back up in 'duty' "Lady XochiCoatl. I.." That mask was struggling..but he was well practiced at this stage "I am here, to protect you, ass iss my ssolemn duty" He gives the customary bow, with a pained sense of irony, not even he could ignore "Though, it would appear you have done well without me" The hurt one back with that one. It was likely one of the first times in decades Xochi had seen him emote beyond that one time a boulder fell on his tail...
Xochi is clearly hit hard by Aktzin's words, hands reaching up to her chest again as she shifts forward towards him, "Aktzin... I wish... I wish things were different. I never wished for your protection, nor asked for your duty... I wanted your friendship, and being there, in that... prison, it was something I could never even ask you for!"
Louma hangs back from the situation, allowing things to unfold as they will for the time being, though she quietly accounts her options if the tides change.
Aktzin didn't stop her, but still had that look that clearly hide whatever he was feeling "...It.iss..wass.." He stutters "If you wisshed it or not, at any moment, your captors could decide that you were no longer usseful, and then you would be gone..if I were the loyal guard, blinded by duty, of ssimple mind, and ssimpler needss, I could keep you ssafe better, ass I may not be removed firsst sshould they decide to rid themsselvess of you...I alwayss wisshed you to leave" He looks over to Louma "I alwayss thought you wisshed to reclaim your throne, but I ssee now that I was misstaken..but a guard'ss loyalty iss to hiss ward, not to the throne" He catches himself from saying something improper, that little flicker of the tongue the only sign "I could never be a friend while you were in danger. I am all of the Sscale Guard. That..sstill meanss something" What, exactly, he didn't know..guilt mostly.
Xochi sighs, "I have no wish for the throne, no. I just wish for... freedom." She lowers her head to Aktzin, "It would seem I have been very mistaken, not in my longing to escape... but in not sharing it with you. I feared... much. I feared being discovered, being followed here. I feared that even my best friend had ambitions for me, which I could not... would not fulfil. And in that... it seems I was most mistaken. I... am sorry."
Aktzin: "If you believed that I wass ssimply a sstupid guard, then perhapss I did my job to well" He was still hurt, make no mistake about it, and had very conflicted feelings about this whole thing, but..an apology helped, a lot "I alwayss wisshed you to live the life you chose. I sshall continue to protect you, but..." He hesitates "Perhaps I sshall be able to less the one that hass only a mind for dut.." He stops again "My apologiess my Lady, this iss much to conssider. I sshall need ssome time to know my own mind, and even then, thiss place would only ever fit a ssingle sserpent" He looks to the garden "I am glad you have found ssuch ssolace."
Xochi: "Perhaps it was I who forgot my friend, out of fear. Please, Aktzin..." She pauses, "No... I will not tell you what to do. But I do wish... for you to stay, in Respite, if you can. And I wish to talk more... I wish to hear your thoughts, and know what you find. Call it duty, or protection, or whatever you may... I wish to have my friend back."
Aktzin: "I sshall not leave Resspite, at leasst, not without sspeaking to you again" He bows his head "But, I wissh to take ssome time, to think, and to conssider. I thought mysself a guard, you ssaw me as a jailor" He uncoils gently, and squeezes Xochi's shoulder, the only real sign of affection he would, and ever did allow himself "You sspeak now from guilt, and perhapss your feelingss are true, I know not..and, I feel, you know not, but I sshall not take advantage of them now to return to my posst outside your jailcell" He takes a breath, and bows to her formally, before turning and leaving, pausing beside Louma a moment, and speaking coldly, but softly "I choose to believe you meant well" before moving away, out into the streets again.
Xochi wants to go after her old friend, but simply remains frozen in place, tears in her eyes as he sets a hand on her shoulder, but she returns his bow, not as a ruler to a servant, but, attempting to as an equal. She watches him go, then turns to Louma and frowns, "Th-there... is a conclusion for you, at least. No blood..." She sighs, water running down her face, "Only tears."
Louma watches Aktzin pass her, only muttering "Aktzin, I..." before he's gone through the door. She turns to Xochi, clearly unsure. The snake before her is no longer a coatl, but instead a hurt friend. She hesitates for a moment, then moves forward and wraps Xochi in a gentle hug. "It's a start, the tears will not run forever, and it's not too late."
Xochi hugs back and sighs, "I knew... I knew I was leaving much behind when I came here. Yet I had not foreseen this... I am such a fool."
Louma sighs briefly, letting Xochi choose when she's had enough contact. "Perhaps, but what can you do now if not grow from your mistakes?" She considers her own words, thinking on the mistakes she made towards her judgement of Aktzin.
Xochi releases the hug after a moment longer, clenching her hands into fists as she taking a stuttered breath as she rises up slightly, releasing a deep breath as she nods. "H-harder then I would have believed. I will try..." She glances towards the door, "He is... not wrong. I... do not know how I feel either. Though, I wish this was not the circumstance in which we both must learn."
Louma moves back, crossing her hands in front of her, glancing towards the door as well. "You are right, I'm sorry it had to be this way for you. I should... Should I go? Give you space to think about things."
Xochi sighs, thinking. "...perhaps, that is best. I am no longer wishing to garden, today. Thank you, Louma... I... thank you. We shall talk again, yes?"
Louma nods, giving Xochi a restrained smile. "Of course, fare well, Xochi." She bows respectfully, turning to leave into the street. She idly glances around as her tail pulls the door closed behind her, scanning for any signs of Aktzin, though she's not sure if she wants to speak to him right away or not.
Louma sighs, too much to think about at the moment anyways. Spreading her wings, she turns to look toward Xochi's door, a sad look in her eyes before she takes off into the air. She practically does a double take as the city stretches out in front of her, glancing down towards Xochi's again. With an annoyed grunt, Louma dives and comes to as gentle a landing as possible on the back end of Xochi's roof, turning toward the figure she had locked eyes with for the slightest of moments. "Well. How does the day find you, Nesseth?"
Nesseth has his crossbow in his hands, having been crouched at the edge of the roof of Xochi's house, watching Aktzin from above in case the meeting grew hostile. Thankfully, it didn't, but the conversation he overheard certainly did nothing to improve his mood from when he was tailing the serpent to the garden earlier. "I should ask you the same, Captain. I see you found the Snake we were supposed to be watching for."
Louma gives the lizard a slanted smile. "He found me first, actually. Was an interesting night, I'm a little surprised Brunilda didn't tell you about it. Turns out, I'm not the winged snake he was looking for. Shame, it was nice feeling wanted."
Nesseth doesn't really return the smile. Indeed, he actually looks a little annoyed, to put it lightly, about something. "Strange, you'd think May would make you feel wanted all the time." He shifts his weight on his feet a bit, a subtle warning sign, "So he found you, and then this meeting in the garden."
Louma notices Nesseth's stance, her own false smile fading. "What are you implying? Actually, nevermind that, what do you think you heard? I think I see how it looks on the outside, but I want to hear you say it."
Nesseth jerks his head out towards the garden area. "Enough that I can tell now that Xochi is part of the royal bloodline. She's a coatl, isn't she?"
Damina is just chilling but has been listening along.
Louma pauses, then laughs. "You didn't hear enough at all, I think. You've seen her up close yourself, where are her wings or plumage if she's a coatl? Aktzin is looking for a XochiCoatl, apparently the last living one. Xochi was a popular name in honor of the princess."
Nesseth scoffs. "We were notified that he was looking for a winged serpent, which is why we thought it was you, Louma. You, yourself, just said that he wasn't looking for you. The only other serpent here is Xochi."
Louma shrugs. "He came to Respite on that rumor, and investigated the only other confirmed snake." She glances meaningfully toward Damina. "There is a lot to discuss about this. Including your spying on my private affairs."
Nesseth raises an eyebrow as he fixes a sharper gaze on Louma. "Your private affairs, hm? So, what, you were helping Aktzin find Xochi to maybe help him in his effort to bring her back to Orela, and reclaim her throne? He's her guard, a very loyal one at that, and she escaped from somewhere, most likely from the archipelago."
Louma grimaces, setting a glare toward him. "Watch what accusations you throw around, Nesseth." She starts 'pacing' side to side with her tail, her torso remaining mostly still. "I tried to convince Aktzin to give up his mission here and move on."
Nesseth turns to keep Louma centered in his line of sight as she paces about. "Then explain what all that talk was, about thrones, Scale Guards, imprisonment and whatnot."
Louma stops her pacing, fitting Nesseth with a cutting glare. "You know very well what it was. It was none of your business, the situation with the snake guard is under control. And I swear on my own wings if either of you breathe a word of this to anybody..." She casts her eyes over Damina again. "It is of no concern to the guards or those we protect any longer, but I will not have aimless rumors grow in my ranks. Swear your silence on the matter."
Nesseth narrows his eyes a bit. "It was very damn well my business Louma, as making sure people are safe is our job as guards. We had a snake whom, as far as the guards knew, was hunting for a winged serpent. I happened to see said snake following you. I tailed him. I took up a position up here to guard you and Xochi in case things got hostile. But I'll obey your orders, Captain."
Damina silently moves away from Nesseth for the moment.
Louma shoots a look to Damina. "You're here too, what say you?"
Damina looks incredibly confused. "I don't know any of the history behind the snakes or anything. I just came here because I noticed Nesseth was here so i followed his lead..."
Louma does not look amused in the slightest. "You want to stay, then you can't talk about what we're about to discuss to anybody else. Understood?"
Nesseth shifts his stance again and points at Louma in dire accusation with his off-hand. "You have my word, Captain, but I swear on all of the gods that Snakes and Lizards worship, if you're lying about any of this..."
Damina covers her eyes with her hat. "I'll take it to the grave, Captain."
Louma 'mmphs', turning back to Nesseth. She stares at him for a long period, then huffs in a breath. "No more lies. Yes, Xochi is a coatl. She is the last coatl, and has no interest in anything other than living in peace and quiet. Aktzin has accepted her decision."
Nesseth clenches his jaw as he holds Louma's gaze with an air of distrust. "So you did lie about earlier."
Louma sighs, pinching the bridge of her beak and deflating onto her coils. "Yes, fine. To protect Xochi. I accidentally discovered her secret, and swore to keep it for her."
Nesseth 's frown deepens. "I trust her more than I trust you at the moment. At least she was honest with me from the start, when I spoke with her some nights ago on the southern wall."
Louma sighs again, her hand moving from pinching her beak to covering her eyes. "I... I-I'm sorry..." She sighs again, the breath rattling in her chest this time as she turns away. "Everything spiraled out of control... I don't... I wanted to... When Bracvar's news came..."
Nesseth taps a boot against the roof, light enough to not really make much of a sound, but enough to show impatience. "You mobilized the guards to ensure safety, yes. We also made sure you were safe due to the details."
Louma holds away from him for a few more moments before turning back to face Nesseth, forcing her emotions back with limited success. "What are you expecting from me here, Nesseth? I've given you the truth, I've admitted my failure. Do you want me to resign next?" She chokes up at the last words as if they were acid in her throat.
Nesseth shakes his head. "No, of course not. I'm not dumb enough to think anyone else can do your job better at all. You got promoted for a reason." He slides his crossbow onto his shoulder, letting it hang against his back from its strap, "I'm just disappointed that this happened after we worked together for five years. I thought we had a mutual trust in matters requiring discretion. I guess I didn't have your trust at all."
Louma is stunned by his words, unable to speak for a moment as she tries to gather herself. "You do. Nesseth, I trust you more than you know, but this... This was different, at first. It was simple. And... Well... I know how you think of the coatls. I understand why you do, but I couldn't know what you would have said or done knowing that Xochi is one... Before I could find a way to breach the subject, this all happened..."
Nesseth opens his mouth to retort, but comes up short, not being able to find words in response. "You know--! I--!" He pauses, trying to consider, then seems to sag a little as he loses a good bit of that angry bearing he's had this whole time, "...You... didn't tell me because of that?"
Louma nods, clearly exhausted by the afternoon's ordeal. "How would you have taken it, honestly? I know you tried to joke about it, but when you asked me 'Do you know what I would have done if she had feathers?' I couldn't come up with an idea." She shakes her head. "I was too unsure, I couldn't take an extra risk, as much as I wanted your support."
Nesseth takes his turn to cast his gaze away from Louma, thinking. After a short, silent pause, he answers, still looking away. "Honestly... before I spoke with Xochi directly...? I don't know what I would have done, either..."
Nesseth lets out a single, quiet, humorless laugh. "Freak out, panic and hide, probably..."
Louma bows her head sadly. "I truly am sorry it came to this, Nesseth."
Nesseth lets out a long, slow sigh as he runs a hand over some of his frills. "I know I can't take back anything I said earlier, Louma, but... I need to try and work on this..."
Louma nods, looking directly at him. "I understand. So do I, a lot of reflection for both of us, I think. I'm... Heading home, I suppose."
Nesseth shifts to look at Louma again as well, now sporting something of his usual 'at ease' expression, though it's still colored through with embarrassment, shame, and a bit of hurt. "I think I'm gonna go and visit Plume... see how they're doing at the moment. Maybe you should go and visit May for a bit?"
Louma smiles for a moment, then lets it drop. "No... I can't bring this kind of baggage to her right now, we've barely started. I'll be okay, have been for four years, right?" She manages a completely empty smile at the end.
Nesseth hums as his own smile wanes again. "Mmh... maybe. Still, I'm no expert on the matter, but... even just being in Plume's company helps ease things. I figure it'd be the same with others."
Louma nods. "Perhaps, you're probably right. Thank you for the advice. Have a good evening with Plume. Damina, you take care as well."
Damina just kinda sits there, shocked at this whole ordeal. She's beginning to understand the significance of what's going on though...
Nesseth gives Louma a salute, a sincere, respectful one. "I'll not take up your time any longer, Louma. See you at the barracks tomorrow morning, as usual?"
Louma returns the salute in form, though wearing a sad smile. "Bright and early." She spreads her wings, nodding to them both before taking off and arching toward her home. Too much to think about, the swan wasn't going to sleep well at all tonight.
Nesseth gives Louma a wave as she flies off. Once she's a ways away from the rooftop, he lets out another deep sigh and looks over at Damina. "Well... all that aside... thanks for being back-up if anything went sour with Aktzin, Damina. I think I'm gonna head to the clinic now, though. I've... got a lot of thinking to do."
Damina: "Yeah... you go... do that." She shakes her head and buries her face in her hand. "Somehow... I feel like my presence just made things worse than it needed to be. I didn't even understand the significance of everything until just now..."
Nesseth shrugs a bit. "It's... a long history between Snakes and Lizards. If you don't mind being bored with a history lesson one day later on, one of us could probably explain it to you."
Damina gives Nesseth a very strange look. "It's not gonna be good, is it..."
Nesseth: Depends on your definition of good, really... 'A bloody war' is probably the best short explanation.
Damina stares off into the distance. "I think that's all I need to know. I'll take my leave now." Before Nesseth can react, Damina has already leapt quite some distance away onto the nearest rooftop, and eventually disappears as she presumably makes her way home.
Nesseth watches Damina leaping away over the rooftops, then sighs and starts to nimbly leap across the nearby roofs as well, as he threads his way through the town towards Plume's place. He needs some company this evening, just for some comfort as he thinks.