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Interregnum 01-02 S2 / Re: Day 10 [1326] Chaos in the Clouds of Qo'Nos
Last post by Ellen Fitz -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?”
