Star Trek: Theurgy

Re: Day 10 [1326] Chaos in the Clouds of Qo'Nos

Reply #50 – March 04, 2024, 01:04:49 PM

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madson | Mekro'vak Region | Qo'noS ] ATTN: @Eden

“Oh,” Enyd paused in her clean-up efforts, “I’m not sure how much you know of Klingon culture; I may have dumbly assumed you knew.”

Suddenly, she dropped her hands to her lap as the last of his words registered. As much as it pinged her pride and the not-so-subtle musings of attraction towards the pilot, she couldn’t blame Cal for feeling that way if he was operating blindly. And, even if he wasn’t, it was still his choice, and he’d rather a Klingon woman taking a mating chunk out of his face, then so be it. Squaring her shoulders against the desire to pout, Enyd resumed her work, likewise not giving into the temptation to press harder than necessary. Cal was the victim here in so many ways; her girlish pride had no place in wrongfully punishing him. She could do that later in her daydreams if necessary.

“Klingon mating customs are…violent. Not a surprise I’m sure given what we’ve lived through the past few hours. Usually, the female initiates the mating by verbally and physically antagonizing a male. Once it gets to a tipping point, so to say, she’ll bite the male, usually on the face somewhere, to show to the other females that he’s been claimed. At that point, if the male doesn’t want to mate, he can protest by fighting her off, and only if he wins does he win the right to say no. Also, if another female wants to contest the claim, she can challenge the original female to a fight, and the winner takes all, in a fashion.” Enyd set aside the cloth and picked up the salve, her touch light but efficient as she dabbed it over the bite mark. “I’m giving you the very summarized version of their customs, and even then, that’s the baseline with many variations depending on the region.”

Finished with her work, Enyd wiped her hands off on the cleansing cloth. Not quite knowing what to do with them now that they weren’t employed in cleaning up the mess she’d made of Cal’s face, Enyd opted to sit on them. If she didn’t, in her state, Enyd knew she’d be tempted to talk with her hands, lose her balance, and knock them both to the ground. The chaos goddess had taught her that much at least.

“Sickbay can have that gone in a few seconds once we return to the ship.” Since her hands were restrained, her feet began to kick back and forth as they hovered over the ground. “Not that you should be grateful for any of this mess but, truth is, that bite is a hell of a lot smaller and less ferocious than the one’s I’ve seen Klingon women leave behind, which makes me oh so grateful that woman didn’t feel like challenging me. I’d have lost, that much is a given, and then I’d be out of commission until a medical evac, and you’d have been sex-napped to who knows where with probably another bite taken out of your other cheek.”

Unbeknowst to Enyd, and likely Cal, the log they’d been perched on all evening had a rotten underside in the middle and with each subtle shift of their weight, it rubbed away a bit more of the supportive “belly.” Until now, with one more kick forward and back of Enyd’s feet, the middle gave way entirely, dropping like a wooden V into the ground and thrusting Cal and Enyd against each other as gravity tossed them to the ground with the log.

As she pushed herself into a seated position out of the momentary tangle of limbs covered in dirt and rotten wood, Enyd leaned against what was left of the log. Mutely studying herself, then peering at Cal’s similarly disheveled nature, Enyd’s eyes stung with unshed tears. It’d been a long day, with mighty ups and terrible downs. Her chin quivering as she fought the unexpected bout of self-pity, Enyd took a deep breath.

“Well,” she tipped her head back and gulped in more campfire smoke-scented air, “yup.” Enyd rolled over into a kneeling position and, using the leftover of the log, got her her feet. Though she doubted he'd be interested in accepting an offer to help, not when her last attempt to help had gotten his cheek bitten, Enyd still offered her hand. “I’ll go get our combadges so we can skidaddle.”

Re: Day 10 [1326] Chaos in the Clouds of Qo'Nos

Reply #51 – April 28, 2024, 08:04:57 PM

[ Lt. JG Callax Valin | Mekro'vak Region | Qo'noS ] Attn: @Ellen Fitz
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It was only a matter of time before chaos struck them again. This time by a rotted wood log of all things. It had not been the most comfortable chair, but it was a chair that served them well until the end. Somehow it felt fitting that even on Qo’noS, one of the least dangerous things a person could think of could still try to hurt them.

His body ached as the pair became tangled on the ground. It was not until she was on top of him that he realized how cold he was. Pressed tightly together, he could feel her warmth. The rise and fall of her chest. It was equal parts comforting and arousing. Again, how long had it been since he had been this close to a woman? He felt tears begin to pool at the corner of his eyes but he shook them away. Klingon company was not the best place to show such vulnerability.

“Hey,” Cal said, voice soft. His eyes had a glimmer of caring concern as he stared up at her. Before she could rise, he reached up to gently brush Enyd’s cheek. “Do not be upset. I did not know that is what you were doing. Had I known, I would have thanked you. While I am all for a challenge, I do not believe my body would survive that particular challenge this evening.” He beamed a cheeky grin at her and gestured towards the klingon woman who had approached them.

Enyd lifted herself up and Cal accepted her outstretched hand to help himself up. His posture was sturdy, finding he had more strength in his legs now than moments before. Something certainly had his blood pumping now and some part of him told him it was not the bloodwine.

“Alright then, Miss Cultural Expert,” he managed to say with a bit of renewed vigor. “If that was some klingon ritual and you have now claimed me, what are my obligations? After all, Starfleet would expect us to respect local cultures and I might have a future in the Diplomatic Service if my family gets their way so I can use all the experience I can get. If I’ve been roped into something, I prefer to see it to the end rather than quit halfway.”

If nothing else, Cal was stubborn.

Re: Day 10 [1326] Chaos in the Clouds of Qo'Nos

Reply #52 – Today at 09:58:00 AM

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madson | Mekro'vak Region | Qo'noS ] ATTN: @Eden

Though Cal’s spirits seemed to have rallied, and he both physically and verbally attempted to assuage her tender nerves, Enyd couldn’t quite bring herself to offer much more than a wobbly smile in response to his good-natured comments. She was further blocked from commenting by the approach of two older females, both wearing matching grins of impish delight. Without asking permission, one bent down and tied a crimson tassel around Enyd’s thigh, laughing at the diplomat when she let out a squeal of surprise when the rough hands pushed the tassel further up her thigh until it disappeared beneath the makeshift tunic and Enyd could swear she felt the ruffle of the tassel tickle the edge of her mons. Looking over to Cal, she saw a similar action had been taken with him only his tassel was black, and the woman lecherously lingered attention on his leg until her companion swatted her away, and they left with matching barks of laughter.

“I don’t know what this is,” Enyd shrugged when she caught Cal’s attention, “I’m hoping Rik’evet explains.” She nodded toward the older man, who was once more heading in their direction, looking equally amused and tired.

He handed glasses of refreshing water to the both of them before moving to stand between them, facing toward the fire and the cleared area around where the rest of the clan seemed to be taking up position as if in expectation for some sort of show.

“Though they placed the ruS without bothering to ask if you’re interested or physically able to participate, they will understand if you choose not to. They are aware of your injuries, and you would not lose honor if you decided to abstain from this ritual.”

Enyd looked over Rik’evet’s shoulder toward Cal before pressing for more information, “What kind of ritual is this?”

“Most clans no longer follow it, but ours does, so count yourself lucky I suppose, in your exposure.” Glancing down at their disheveled nature, Rik’evet laughed. “Incredibly lucky. It is the bI’reS nalqaD, or the feigned mating ritual. The playmate perhaps? There’s no easy translation.” He pointed toward Cal’s leg. “Basically, the ritual dictates that the man and woman participating do whatever is necessary to remove the tassel with their teeth, and only their teeth. For those already mated, the victorious one is considered the household leader for a period of time, regardless of gender. For those not yet mated, it is more just an opportunity for the clan to witness their compatibility or lack thereof. Just because a challenger wins the right to mate doesn’t mean the mating itself would be viable, and this is a way of ensuring that those who should be mated are thusly mated.”

Enyd could already see this going very, very, very wrong. And yet the diplomatic, curious side of her was already egging her own, desperate for her to accept even when she still felt like death warmed over.

“So in the case of not yet mated, what does the victorious one win? Aside from a tassel in their teeth?”

Rik’evet laughed, “The right to finish their mating and great honor amongst the clan.” He angled a look at Enyd, “Were you hoping for trigok tusks or something?”

“Yes,” Enyd laughed, “I actually was. Since neither Cal nor I are technically from your clan, but if we choose to do this we would be entertaining your clan, I am curious if it could be arranged for the victorious one to have a token in addition to the honor…and right to mate.” Enyd barely whispered the last but Rik’evet heard it nonetheless and laughed.

“If you both agree to this, I can guarantee you won’t walk away empty-handed. And, to assist you both in this, I do have a tonic you can drink that will boost your vitality and ease your aches.” Giving them both a nod, he added, “I’ll go get the tonic and leave you to discuss.”

Enyd watched him leave before glancing over her shoulder at Cal, “What do you say to an encore?”