The Gift
Stephanie's Storyline, Chapter 5.2
copyright comidacomida 2018
All action stalled in the room, thankfully, when my cell went off. Looking down on the sofa cushion I saw on the display that it was from my dad and mom's house. Nobody missed it, or my response to it, and everyone fell immediately silent. Nothing about the situation was ideal, and I was already off balance, but I knew I couldn't put off talking with them forever. There were a lot of important topics we had to cover, so I sighed, realizing I would have to keep the peace among the spirits before dealing with my folks and sent the call to voicemail.
The moment I set my cell back onto the sofa all of the Spirits looked ready to pick up right where they left off; I wasn't okay with that. "HOLD IT!"
Everyone remained silent; muzzles and beak closed audibly and everyone turned to look at me, though I didn't miss the irate look Tom shot Anapa. That was as good a place as any to begin. Turning to Tom, I addressed that issue first. "I don't need you to speak up for me about who I can and can't kiss."
The Rhino snorted. "YOU didn't kiss HIM, Nekh'dah... HE kissed YOU, and that is unacceptable without permission from--"
I called him on his objection. "Permission from you?"
Tom's flat-back ears broadened slightly how they laid against his skull and his gaze softened. "From YOU, child... he forced his will on you and I am NOT content to let that stay at it is... such a thing is NOT acceptable."
Reiterating my prior statement, I explained to him "That's for ME to decide, Tom... not you. I appreciate that you want to keep me safe but--"
Medved spoke softly, but his deep voice was easily audible despite the low volume. "She likes him, Tom."
My initial thought was 'Et tu, Medved?', but I kept my own council. Fortunately, the discussion on the other side of the room was more than sufficient to fill in the silence. Anapa spoke aside to Kyle, who squawked back at him indignantly. The Jackal continued speaking calmly and eventually the Raven's feathers unruffled. He refolded his wings when he looked my way. "He says it is a sign of respect."
Tom huffed. "Not where the rest of us are from, it isn't."
I shot a glance at the Rhino, who fell silent again. The distraction caused by Tom was just enough for Medved to continue with his line of thinking. His next statement took me a moment to decipher as he couched it in a reference to my story. "You are surrounded by four knights, Princess Stefanika."
When the realization of what he was saying clicked my first response was the thought that I didn't understand his meaning. Was Medved saying that, like the princess in my story, I had a knight interested in me-- or, rather, four? Was he saying that all four spirits thought of me THAT fondly? No, of course that wasn't what he was saying... or was it? I glanced around the room at the confused expressions on Tom and Kyle, and the unreadable attention from Anapa since he obviously didn't understand what it was Medved was saying.
Eventually, when I'd had enough time to puzzle through what I THOUGHT he was saying, I had to do a double-take: he said four. Four? That meant-- "Medved... are you-- are you saying that... that all of you...?"
It wasn't all that easy to actually say what I was going to and I found myself trailing off. Rather than answering my question he looked at Kyle. "You. Raven... you like my Lapushka. Be honest. Tell her."
Glancing at Kyle, I fully expected him to respond indignantly and throw the words back at the Bear. I'd known Kyle as a Human or, rather, as the boy he'd possessed for several years and, during that time, he'd been one of my brother's best friends. Of COURSE it would be natural for us to be on good terms, but to think that it went any deeper than that? No... of course not. The look in his eyes though, with a hint of ashamed admittance said far more than his words. "She's the nicest, most genuine person I have ever known. Ever."
Medved nodded succinctly, eyes migrating from me to the Raven before flicking in the direction of Anapa. "Ask him."
Kyle puffed up immediately. "What? No!"
My gaze alternated from Medved to Kyle to Anapa, then back to Medved, then to Anapa again before finally returning to Kyle. "He said I'm a 'priestess', right?"
Rather than waiting for anyone to speak for him, the Jackal announced it himself. "You Priestess. Weaver. I for you."
It was hardly eloquent and was far from clear but there was a certainty to his tone and, judging from the way he stared at me and the glimmer in his Amethyst eyes, it was almost enough for me to second-guess my stance that Medved was entirely wrong in his assessment. Before I could say anything, though, Tom interjected, addressing Tom. "You are suggesting that they are in love with her?"
Speaking like a criminal admitting his transgression, Medved slowly sat back down on the sofa, letting out a deep breath as he hung his head. He spoke softly in Russian before raising his voice. "Bozhe, prosti menya snova... I am saying we all are."
The Rhino seemed taken aback. "Well, of course! I know I do. She is my Nekh'deh. Were I flesh, she would be of it! But there is a great difference between--"
The moment Medved looked up at Tom the Sentinel's statement slid to a halt. The Bear's follow-up statement was far more direct than any other Spirit's admission. "Had I a heart, it would beat for her."
Tom began rubbing his forehead, mumbling "Lo yeumann..."
Already off-balance from what Medved was suggesting, I was rapidly losing my grip on reality from what I was continuing to hear. I returned my attention to Kyle. "So... you mean... you...?"
His feathers puffed up, the Raven slowly nodded, his beak rising and falling in the air. "Stef... you're--"
Silencing him with a gesture, I looked to Anapa, who didn't even wait for a question. He held one paw to his chest, the other gesturing toward me. "I for you."
The Rhino stood and began pacing, repeating his earlier Hebrew statement. "Lo yeumann... lo yeumann..."
I turned to face him since Tom was the only one not giving me a look in 'that kind of way'. "Tom... do--"
He faced me immediately, closing the distance far faster than his enormous size would suggest possible, and he took hold of my wrist between his thumb and index finger easier than a normal sized individual would do with their entire hand. "Nekh'dah, my love for you is unequivocal and unlimited, but it is of a kind that suits a Sentinel. You are my Nekh'dah, my granddaughter, and that is how I see you."
The Rhino's words were heartfelt and tender; he was being truthful and emotionally open, and it made me smile. "Thank you."
His gaze took on a slightly harsher edge as he gazed past me where Medved was standing; his tone also matched his glare. "It is the way a GUARDIAN should feel as well."
Medved's response was simple, and quiet. "I know."
And there it was-- indirectly, maybe, but still plenty clear. I needed time to consider everything I had heard but, even more than that, I needed time to digest everything that had been piled onto me before that. My brother was dead and apparently he'd been sacrificed to some kind of water Naturae Spirit. Anapa had kissed me and all of the Spirits had confessed their love to me, but only one of them conveyed that they loved me in the kind of way I'd expected.
What did it all mean? I didn't know, and I didn't have the slightest idea of how I would manage to reconcile all of that. Being so focused on everything that had been barraging me for the entirety of the day up to that point, an errant thought only made matters worse when I took another variable into account: how did I feel about them?
Glancing back to Medved, I realized that he was staring at me, as if his head were in a guillotine and I had my hand on the lever. There was something seemingly vulnerable about the enormous Spirit, almost out of place in my impression of him. If nothing else truly conveyed his feelings, it was that gaze as he stood helpless, waiting for an answer I wasn't sure I knew how to give.
Stepping forward until I was right in front of the Bear, I--
2 has possibilities, but focuses too much on Medved, when the others have just laid bare their hearts. Stephanie wouldn't disregard them like that
3 certainly seems like a good compromise, and keeps the relationships going.
4 is good too, as it follows her honesty and stalls for time while acknowledging a sudden and unexpected situation
5 is far-over-the-top drama that doesn't fit in the course of this chapter, nor with Stephanie in her character arc
So...decisions decisions...I think 3. It seems to flow along with the pace of the story while maintaining Stephanie's unique character. I think she would want to make each Spirit feel wanted, and to be close to each of them for a bit to comfort them after such a harrowing admission.
-TGU.
I have you down for 1!
2) -- reached out to take hold of his paw. "I want-- need to talk to you alone, Medved... there's something you're not telling me about... lots of things, isn't there?"
3) -- stood up on my tip-toes and gave him a kiss on his furry cheek. I then went and did the same with Kyle and Anapa and then Tom. "I love all of you... in different ways, with different parts of my heart... but what I REALLY need right now is to be able to focus... please. I need to solve this thing with BIlly."
4) -- stated clearly and concisely. "I... I don't know how I feel... I'm still-- I still need to focus on my brother. Please... just... be patient with me."
5) -- fought hard to keep my tears in check as I called him on his emotional terrorism. "You KNOW right now isn't a good time, Medved, but you're throwing all of this at me? Do you have ANY idea how this looks? How this feels?!? I'm trying to figure out what happened to my brother, and--- and-- I don't even know what to say. How COULD you?"
Voting is now open, and will close as of midnight (pst) on Wednesday, September 5th.
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3 for me. It is the closest to who she is.