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Summary: With fragments of her sanity regained, Morgana begins to recall her past life in Duat. Walking down memory lane is always a bitter sweet experience, and though the siren momentarily despairs, it seems that she might yet be able to cope with the past in her new home. |
So.. those last two visits were.. eventful to say the least. Kotal wasn't expecting a total and instantaneous recuperation after the cursed mermaid met with some of his co-workers. What the Aztec warrior /was/ expecting however was for Morgana to at least open up a little bit. Surely the strangeness of this realm and its many wonders would dispel even the most soul consuming darkness that tainted someone's heart. It had certainly done so for him, so it should affect everyone else. This mermaid though seemed to be made of more resilient stuff, or at least, whatever clouded her mind was really ingrained there in her being. Kotal has made little progress thus far and he has resigned himself to practice his martial arts while he gives Morgana some alone time. The Aztec warrior practices his form against a wooden dummy, slicing the thing to pieces with his bare arms and kicks. The wooden dummy regenerates itself giving Kotal an unlimited amount of targets and it seems that he really can go on for all eternity before Morgana decides to come out of her waters and talk to him. At least for now, he seems content giving the siren her space. There had been much the siren had been exposed to since she arrived in this new world. After so long alone, it was almost to much. Like taking an animal out of a cage afer a long time, it left one feeling sensitive and twitchy. She lay curled in the bottom of her pool. She was a little over whelmed frankly, two gods and a water dancer, a new environment and little control of her own mental clarity which had its own issues. When the vibration of movement and sound echo through her water, she can feel it on skin. Motion stirs the siren, her natural, preditory instincts bringing her to full attention. She uncurls and rises to the top of the pool, her head just lifting free of the water. Her third eye lid blinks open exposing her intense dark eyes.
He throws a spear hand thrust to the center of the dummy, where a human's sternum would be, and the Aztec pushes his fingers in like they were knives, ramming the entirety of his muscled arm through the dummy until his hand is coming out of the target's back. The Aztec glances to the side when he notices that Morgana is peeking out of the water. "Finally decided to come out?" Wonders the Aztec out loud as he cleaves the dummy in half with his arm like if it was a hot knife through butter. The siren watches the mans attack on the dummy. This makes not sense to her, why attack an inanamate thing, why not hunt, battle and get ones hands and teeth on something living and able to fight back? She would never understand this turquois man. Her first instinct when she is spoken to ,strangly is to duck back under the water and pretend she didnt hear him. Not that she is afraid but , interaction with others leads to surges of hunger stronger than what simply gnaws her regularly. Also, she does not understand how or why they act as they do and she always seems to do exactly the wrong thing. Lifting her chin some she uses her long tail to propell her upward, till her hands touch the pools edge. She shoves herself upward and lifts her hip to the side of the pool so she is able to sit on its edge, flukes still in the water. "if you had need of my presance you could have done something to let me know, so long as you dont tug this...thing."
She needs to be tempered by discipline before she is of any use to Kotal and by extension, the city of Twisted. Mayhap one day, Kotal will make Morgana learn what it means to be a warrior. "You said it yourself, Morgana." The Aztec straightens himself and lets the dummy regenerate itself while his dusts his hands from splinters. "You are no dog that needs to heed my call. If you wish to explore or speak, it should be because of your own volition." "The only reason why I have collared you is so you do not harm my friends." The siren listened to the man, all though it might seem that she is not fully attending him. She brings her arms up and gathers the great mass of dark hair and pulls it over her shoulder. As she does so, she wrings the water from it and oddly it seems to dry as if it had never been wet, a little mermaid magic. Using her fingers she smooths the strands , seperating them and coming through as best she can. "and yet you chose to summon me like a hound before your white dog goddess." She doesnt look at him and yet it is clear, the siren knows how to hold a grudge and takes anything she sees as a slight poorly.
Kotal gives a bit of a snort when Morgana shows great offense at remembering how she was summoned in the first meeting with Lady Amaterasu. The Aztec finishes dusting his hands and turns to the siren, regarding her with some amusment, seen on his glowing eyes. "Firstly, it was less of a summon and more of a... fishing you out." So, it seems the Aztec War God /is/ capable of some manner of humor. "Secondly, it was my own insurance to make sure you came out of the water when I called you. Having you ignore Lady Amaterasu when she graced us with her presence would have been quite disrespectful." "I do not fully trust you yet, Morgana, and it is clear you have no trust of me either. I will have to continue to use the collar until we have gotten to know each other more.. personally."
"I can make no such promises, Morgana." He moves around the dummy to look at her in full naked splendor. "In your current state there will be things that you will not agree to and yet they will certainly be for your own good." He moves away from her to the opposite end of the room, all calm and serene. "There is a sickness in your soul and mind, which is not letting you think properly. I am sorry, and please understand, I will have to yank your collar if I deem it necessary." As he moves away from her, the War God goes to sit on his throne made entirely out of skulls, well polished and preserved, many of them aren't even human skulls even, with the vast majority of them being of great beasts and demon like creatures. He leans back and crosses one leg over the other with the arrogance that one would expect of a man of his stature. Even when Morgana says she has met warriors of similar interests, he can do naught but chuckle. "Oh, I have met many so called conquerors myself. I am far too well acquainted with their type, and as I have seen.. it always leads to their own ruin." "Believe me, Morgana. I am unlike any you have met before. In time, you will give me your loyalty willingly and there will be no longer any need for a collar."
It's really a wonder how Kotal even /has/ a skull throne in what is essentially a small apartment complex. But he doubts that Morgana would even understand the concept, nor would she be interested anyway, and he spares her the long story behind it all. Instead; he patiently listens to her demands, concerns and conditions of how this.. partnership will work, Kotal wiggling his foot whilst he drums his fingers together, looking quite at easy even though it sounds like he's being reprimanded. "I only force my way when in Kombat." Explains he and allows Morgana to touch what she wishes in his room, it's mostly tacky souvenirs from Twisted anyway. "Outside the battle field I am far more proficient using my words than my fists or sword." "And because of that I must tell you this, Morgana. How do you expect me to understand you when you show so much clear lack of interest in anything but yourself and your own hunger." Kotal smirks suddenly and leans closer. "These other warriors you have met.. tell me of them. It sounds as if they left an impression on you."
"Besides.. even without looking at you, all these stories of these warriors and conquerors you've met tell me that at one point you were socializing extensively with someone. Dare I say, it sounds as if at one point you had a tightly knit group of friends, even after the taint." Morgana sighs and frowns then snaps sharply "You know NOTHING of the taint or the hunger frenzy. You know nothing of me or any ...disapline I might have. " She gnashes her teeth as her emotions rise and with that rise comes a flair of hunger and matching wash of rage. She shreeks her furry, the sound echoing though the room and rattling the windows even as she spun and lashed out at the dummy. Tallons slash and arms drive them through the wood, knocking great hunks off. She may not be trained but the siren is impressively strong even in her human form.
The dummy breaks and shatters with every blow but keeps regenerating over and over again, meaning that Morgana can savage it for as long as she wants. In fact, Kotal lets her do just that. Just watching her in quiet contemplation, allowing her to continue tearing at it for as long as she feels is necessary. The siren savaged the dummy for many long moments and vented her furry. At least the blue man should be glad she didnt launch herself at HIM again. Hell its progress right? She pants as the fury is spent but she can still feel the hunger claw at her. The thoughts in her mind pulled to that, all sense clouded by the singular drive to feed. She can smell him from across the room, warm and alive, she can practically taste the blood that flows under his skin. Morgana turns away from the dummy and lets her hands fall to her sides. No he doesnt understand the frenzy, how her entire being is consumed by it in those moments and its all she can do not to batter herself against his will over and over in an attempt to feast on his flesh and blood. His question about her past still rings in her mind, proding her past the hunger and she shakes her head as it falls forward, hair hiding her. Her eyes dart to the pool, she could go hide, but then, thats what it felt like now too, hiding and she disliked it, she didnt wish the solitude but she couldnt seem to push the new flair of hunger down enough to be able to tolerate his condesention.
When at last Morgana falls to her knees in exhaustion - the dummy wiggling and regenerating back as if it had never been touched before - Kotal arches an eyebrow when he sees her look away from him, almost as if she was ashamed. He sees her cast a glance at the pool and he simply rolls his golden eyes. No wonder she has tired herself out by exerting herself so much. "If you need to feed you need naught but ask me, Morgana." The siren simply rests there, breathing hard and trying to contain her need. She doesnt want to mindlessly flail at him, nor does she want to be treated as he has before, fed from his hand as if she were a dog or some suplicant. She has never begged or groveled in her long life and she would find some way to end herself before she became such now. Her tallons dug into her own flesh as she faught her hunger down so that she could speak with out gnashing her teeth "twice you have bled to feed me and each time it has felt as if I were a crawling thing beneith you and I will not beg you Kotal. I despise that feeling, even when the others came to my waters I did not beg of them, even when the warlord threatend to take my head I did not beg or bend to his will and I will not beg you.."
"I am not your God, Morgana, and you are no soldier, I do not ask for your worshipping. And despite you bearing my collar, I am not your Master." "Therefore, given all these nuances of our current relationship, I think you can bear to simply ask me for something. It will only hurt your pride if you let it." Another sigh and he leans to the other side of this skull throne. "I do not know how many times must I repeat myself to you, Morgana.. but I will tell once more since you seem unable to comprehend." "Whoever this warlord is that you keep talking about." "I am not him." The siren sighed and let her hair fall forward fully, the line of her spine was sleek and pale in the rooms light as was the curve of her waist and should one look the curved flare of feminine hips. "You say this and yet you have spoken to me as a god, you have demanded and commanded. Have you called me friend or given me reason to do so with you. I am bound and when we talk you do not talk to me but at me so..if you are different, if you are my friend...." She pauses and visibly shudders as one pale hand reaches back toward him trembling as she tries to hold herself focused enough to speak. "help me...let me feed, not as some supplicant...beneath you,...but trusted and welcomed." "I have spoken to you as a God because I am one." Grunts the Aztec with more than just a slight hint of annoyance to his voice, no doubt vexed by how Morgana keeps referring to his godhood as if it were something bad. "Friendship goes both ways, Morgana. I will not demean myself and beg you in turn to try and help you. I believe that the mere fact that I ask no reverence from you is enough to prove my intentions." "You seem to have great dislike for Gods, and yet you carry yourself as one. Calling yourself Death and Hunger.. these are bold titles to claim as your own." Finally, Kotal stands from his throne and approaches the kneeled Morgana, extending his hand down and offering his forearm. "Here.. I offer my blood to you, not as your servant, nor your owner. Simply.. a friend that cares for your well being."
Kotal does notice the restraint, as he notices most things. He recognizes the struggle within Morgana, that the eons of battle experience mean nothing to her, as they really shouldn't, for before the disease overtook her she was naught but a child of the oceans as merfolk usually are. To see a creature that once had a pristine pure soul turned into this is most horrifying, and more than enough reason for Kotal to hold no ill will towards her. Morgana may think otherwise, but Kotal Kahn understands her perfectly, he only wishes that she could return the favor. "I cannot promise to restore that which once was, Morgana." He speaks softly, unlike the thunder commanding voice from before. "This realm of Twisted, its power is beyond even beings such as I or Lady Amaterasu. Even us Gods are naught but prisoners here. The people that you have lost may be gone from you forever, and I may not be able to do anything to change that." Harsh but true words. "All I can offer for you is a new beginning. To help you remember as you once could." Morgana turns herself toward the blue man and lifts her dark eyes. She can feel the hunger digging into her all the more with him so close. His words though brought another to mind and made her recall that she was not always lost, she became lost when Dacian was taken from her. He had understood her, he had never feared her even as a child and he had loved her when he became a man. "memorys are pain Kotal, but perhaps pain is better then madness." She steps into him and takes a breath. Her hand lifts and she sets a single talon against his chest. "I do not think I can trust my teeth Kotal..."
This is trust, giving and taking as equals. When he reaches for her hand she nods and that talong digs into his turqoise flesh spliting sking and spilling blood. Her breath catches and her jaw clenches as she feels the frenzy rise. Morgana closes her eyes tightly closed and forces down that frenzy with all she has. She trembles in effort, the scent of his blood filling her nose. With a breath in then sighed out she leans in and sweeps her tongue over his chest. Hot blood coats her tongue and she tip toes up to fasten her mouth over the wound and suckle
Kotal does move when Morgana begins to suckle his godly essence though. When that powerful, fiery blood pours down from his chest to Morgana's lips, the Warrior God brings a hand across her waist and places his palm upon her sacrum. His other hand is brought to the back of her hand as if he were embracing her with a warm and comforting hug. It is hard to tell what is the intention of such a thing though as Kotal doesn't seem to be the nurturing type, perhaps its just his best attempt to appear to be comforting. The siren sweeps her tongue over then wound in the blue mans bleedling flesh. The hot potent blood fills her mouth and ignights her hunger. She dips her head and fastens her mouth over the wound, her tongue sweeps into it, teasing it open further as she drinks in that potent essence. When the war gods arms go around her and her pulls her in close , holding her against him, she goes ridged for a moment, tensing, the siren has not been embraced this way in a very long time. Its a few heart beats before she eases into him and continues to feed . She is not one to waste an opertunity and so she takes long drawing pulls from the wound. That rich coppery essance is almost instantly absorbed by her body and with each draw her frenzy quiets further and her hunger cools. With the dulling of that ache, her mind slowly clears and faces flash before her eyes, old friends long gone, a singular Lady and her family, a butterfly maiden, a pair of laughing brown eyes and a cloth mask hiding a noble warrior, a flame haired valkyrie and then...the memory of the last one to lovingly embrace her, a living vampire who trusted her, loved her as none before or since. A shudder passes through her and silent tears spill as she feeds, the pain of hunger leaving her for the pain of memory. Kotal expected many things from the embrace. From the many possibilities there was the chance for Morgana to take great offense at his embrace and attack him. She could have pulled away. She could have succumbed to the frenzy and dig her fangs further into him -- which is also probably a reason why he's grabbing her, so he can quickly react if she goes wild. Kotal even didn't discard the possibility of her grown lustful and ask other... requests from him. But this..? Tears..? He did not expect that. The Warrior God cannot see what the siren is thinking, that power is beyond him. All he can feel is the shudder of her body and when he looks down there's a silent tear running down the mermaid's cheek. "Morgana?" He asks curiously, seemingly oblivious to any pain the feeding may be causing him. "What is wrong? Why do you cry?" The warrior reaches for her face to wipe the tear away.
Morgana takes another deep draw of the blue gods blood , feeling the warmth fill her, warming her from inside and even adding a little heat to usually cool flesh. When his fingers stroke her cheek and he questons her tears she lifts her face and licks her mouth. She keeps her eyes down for a moment then lifts them. "the hunger quells but it leaves room for memory and grief. I remember those who are long gone, a mate I could not protect, one who never feared me, never threatend, only loved." She takes a long breath and lets it out more tears spilling as she softly tells him these things. Hmm.. well this is awkward. As a God of War, Kotal has no experience in comforting people. He can do his best to offer support, counsel, a strong arm, but as far as healing the spirit he can do little more than offer a shoulder to cry on-- even if it's quite the ample and strong shoulder. The Aztec's lips purse, one of the few times where Kotal doesn't look completely sure of what he should do. His eyebrows furrow and his golden eyes meet Morgana as she retells her tale of lost. The revelation that she at one point had a mate, when she was already tainted no less, honestly surprises him. However, he knows better than to prod her about that stuff, especially at such a vulnerable state. Instead, he just offers the words his father Quetzalcoatl gave him when Tenochtitlan was lost. "Hold on to those memories, Morgana. Though you may think they bring you nothing but sadness and grief, as long as you have your mate in your heart, he will never truly be gone, and he will give you the strength to continue on."
Hence, it makes sense that vampires in her world could bear children and that this mate of hers grew until a certain age where he could provide her with what she needed. A pity that the lad apparently died, Kotal would have liked to meet him, and Morgana's so called family for that matter. Kotal listens to all of that silently, simply pondering the possibilities of a better life for the siren. When she finishes feeding and bids Kotal's wound to close, the Aztec actually pulls away, not wanting her to use energy on closing a wound he can bind himself. Kotal makes a fist and the sun light passes through the ceiling of the room to shine over him, healing the wound. While he recovers, the Aztec looks closely at Morgana and wonders something out loud. "Do you think you will ever be able to love another?" When Kotal pulls away from her she frowns a little then turns her face away as the sunlight fills the area he stands in. Though she can tolerate the sun for a short while she is not particularly comfortable in that much light and heat. Taking two steps back she looks at the room as he heals himself. She actualy was not attempting to heal him by any power she had, she wasn’t that sort of being. She could kill, she could sing to entrance but she has no healing skills, she was actually urging him to do this very thing, seal his own wound. When he speaks she glances back with care not to look to the light more then she had to. "I ..do not know. I have had no one close to me since then. Dacian was lost and his Father and mother took all that was theirs from Nox and I was left with only Charybdis. I let the madness claim me and when I was all that was left I willed my own fading...it has been...I do not know how long but I belive decades."
Kotal does know that though vampires across dimensions have varying degrees of tolerance of the sun, they all greatly dislike it. Even the great Alucard's flesh boiled and burned when under the potent rays of sunlight that Kotal called upon him. Hence, the main reason why he pulled away from Morgana, and why he dismisses the sun ray as soon as he's done healing, so as to not make her uncomfortable. He sits on his bed and slumps a little. He'll be the first to admit that this is quite out of his field and isn't sure what to say or to do to make Morgana feel better. All he can do for now is take off his helmet and rub at the back of his neck, passing his head over his short curly hair-- kind of very normal looking for a War God though. "It will happen eventually." He says strangely and glances to look at her. "You are very comely, Morgana. Dare I say, devastatingly beautiful at that. You are powerful, wise, and pleasant to be around when your mind is not clouded by the frenzy." "I suspect someone, at some point, will profess their love for you around here. And then it will be your decision to open your heart and let another in." Morgana turns back to face the blue man as the sunlight fades and the room is as it was. She tilts her head and watches him remove his helm and sit so heavily on the bed. The siren blinks slowly, thoughtfully as he speaks. With the fierce ache of hunger abaited and her mind clear she looks at him there not as a god or a warrior but simply as a man, a man that has offered her safety, and companionship, and allowed her to feed from his own body with out fear or her having to use her voice to sway him. With out much for thought she simply moves toward him, his wariness some how calls to her and she lifts her voice, softly the first note spills from her and curls around him. Its a gentle tone not the aching call to entrance but something gentle, like a carres on the mind.
Unlike most ascended gods, Kotal remembers his previous mortal life quite well, and sometimes, he forgets all his achievements and falls back upon mortal reactions such as feeling lost. The turquoise giant slouches for a moment, being mostly irritated with himself that he cannot simply snap his fingers and fix all of Morgana's problems. How limited are his powers despite being a god indeed.. And then, as he's pondering his next move, Morgana sings, drawing his attention. Instantly, something from within flares an arm, well honed warrior instincts tell him to defend himself, and though he twitches and his golden eyes flare at Morgana, he does not move to choke her with her collar. Instead, he pauses, watching her, listening to her comforting song. There is as much wariness to his gaze as there is curiosity. Clearly wondering what is she trying to do. She has not tried to offer pleasure with her voice since her lost mate. She remembers singing to him as a boy when he would bolt from his parents land and need to be away and hide to find himself and his own thoughs. She sang to him tender soothing things, once before the taint she sang of joy and the simple pleasure of being alive. It was the taint that made her song a thing of entrancement and danger. With her mind clear and this moment of peace and kindness between them, she has nothing to give back to the wary man but what she is and that is siren her song can be many things not just death. When he lifts his gaze to hers with wariness and curriosity she simply closes her eyes and lifts her voice, the song is pure, the crystiline notes ring through the room but instead of that aching pain and sorrow she trys to remember her love and how her song pleased him, how he basked in it and it soothed. Those notes carress, warm on the mind and skin, somthing soft like the furr of a rabbit , warm like summer rain, sweet like honeysuckle. Soft gentle things are called to mind, peace, and comfort.
Although there have been plenty of moments of comradeship in Twisted, the sense of danger, long instilled in Kotal by centuries of war has never truly left him. He is -the- warrior god after all, born by warfare, forged in kombat, tempered by discipline, tested and perfected through countless years of waging war, both in the field and in the arena. Every waking moment since Kotal took the name of Huitzilopotchli has -been- battle. Much like how the hunger completely clouds Morgana's senses to nothing else but the ache of wanting to feed, Kotal too had been submerged in violence for too long to recognize true peace when he saw it. At first, he knows not what to do. As Morgana closes her eyes, he averts his gaze and glances down at the floor, awkwardly sitting still whilst Morgana sings her comforting melody. There is no attack coming, and thus Kotal feels no need defend himself. Thousands of defensive techniques at his disposal and not a single one can help him here, because there is no fight. It takes him a few more moments to realize it too. That this is not a fight. It's simply a mermaid singing. He accepts it for what it is after brief moments of contemplation and recalls the before time where he would listen to songs for pure enjoyment. The Aztec leans back and does just that.. simply enjoy Morgana's singing.. it seems he still remembers how to just sit back and listen. | |
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