The White Phoenix

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

The sudden outburst caused Rai to turn around again, and instantly she wished she didn't.

"Ai'kosa!"

Turning her back once more, the heiress pushed back suds that threatened to enrcoach down into her eyes.

"jIss jit ssuppossed to look ljike that?"

[Phrexus Krale]

It wasn't exactly a lecherous look that he gave her, but it wasn't an innocent one, either. Though, in the very next moment, her last words were enough to break him from his moment of full-frontal pride, and a sudden look of concern clouded his brow as his eyes swiftly went down.

"What?!"

Two arms went akimbo, one lifting to scratch at his scaled temple, and the last coming up to frame his chin.

"My best boy here looks normal to me!"

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

"That'ss not a cock, jitss a batterrjing rram."

Even in the name of libertine excess, there was such a thing as too much. Rai furiously scrubbed lather into her hair in an attempt to distract herself and unsee what she'd already seen.

"jI pjitjy the ljivesstock of thjiss outposst."

[Phrexus Krale]

"Aahhh," he snapped his jaws a few times, a hand gesturing and waving to the air as if to dispel her insinuation.

"I have no need to do anything of that sort."

Half-turning, he let the water wash away the lathered soap that he'd scrubbed all over himself.

"Not everyone is as starved for sex as you Cizerack."

Another grunt.

"Many of us are happy enough with warm food and a peaceful life."

Which, was a strange admission coming from one who had spent much of his life on a battlefield.

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

Goddess, guilty. Rai didn't have anything to say to that one. Maybe she had been hoping a little to find Samus here, if only to give herself the illusion of opportunity. It had nearly been a week since she'd had anyone. Had she ever gone so long without?

"Mjy ljife wass warrm and peaceful enough." She passed her hair under the stream again, squeezing her locks in a downward motion to expel the last of the shampoo.

"But that'ss all changed now."

[Phrexus Krale]

"You'll need to earn it after-the-fact, then."

The last of the lather was washed away, and reaching out, he turned the oldstyle knob to shut off the steaming water.

"A lot of us had to work for quieter lives. And a good bit of those never got the chance to make it to the end."

A thick-fingered hand snaked over to a towel rack, and he pulled a brightly-colored, oversized towel (a gift from Loklorien's daughter, and replete with action poses of some character named 'Action Johnny Rebel') toward him so that he could begin the ritual of drying himself off.

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

What Krale said was above objection, so Rai didn't offer one. She continued to bathe, applying lather to her body.

"jI'm awarre of mjy prrjivjilege, Phrrexuss. jI majy not ssharre the common trroubless of jyou or Ssamuss, but mjy possjitjion attrractss jitss own dangerrss."

[Phrexus Krale]

"Is that so?"

His grunted words held a certain tinge of curiosity as he toweled himself dry.

"And what sort of dangers do you face? An unfortunate nail painting session?"

He couldn't help the laugh that began at the bottom of his throat, and went on.

"Or perhaps you jumped into bed with a man who was too big for you!"

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

She turned to face him again, a scowl on her face.

"jYou don't know a thjing about me, Bessaljissk. Mjy famjiljy jiss powerrful. That kjind of powerr attrractss dangerrouss enemjiess. The kjind who won't hessjitate to kjidnap orr even kjill to get what thejy want. Sso majybe jI haven't fought jin ssome grreat warr, but people ljike jyou and people ljike Ssamuss have the luxurrjy of anonjymjitjy that jI don't have.

jI have no jintentjionss of bejing ssomeone'ss vjictjim."

[Phrexus Krale]

Oh, he'd been told all about the girl, but it didn't keep him from enjoying the action of pushing her buttons.

Running the towel over a forearm, Krale gave a snort.

"And that's why you're here. I know."

Another arm was rubbed down.

"I have to wonder why you chose Samus to teach you all of this, though."

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

The suds had washed clean from her body, but Rai no longer found comfort in the shower. She'd normally condition her hair, but that need seemed small in the face of this sudden provocation. Rai cut off the water. She stood in the silence that followed, dripping dry.

"Therre wass an attack. jI wass wjith Ssamuss when jit happened. He...ssaved mjy ljife."

The admission still made her feel uneasy and vulnerable. Instinctively, Rai's tail curled in.

"jI've neverr felt sso usselesss, neverr felt ljike jI had sso ljittle contrrol overr mjy desstjinjy beforre. jI wass terrrjifjied."

[Phrexus Krale]

He still stood like some burly sentinel, but he at least allowed a strange expression of softness to descend over his craggy features. He closed the distance between the two, his hulking form dwarfing her. A single hand came down to rest on her shoulder as his free hands threw the towel over his shoulder.

"You chose a good teacher, Little One. Samus is a survivor, and he isn't still breathing today because he was soft. The man knew when to pull the trigger, no matter how hard it was."

Another hand held up a cautionary finger then.

"But, do not tell him that I said that," he rumbled.

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

It took fortitude not to recoil from the Besalisk's hand, but Rai stood her ground. This obviously counted as good behavior for the alien, and she reluctantly respected the gesture.

"jI'll keep jyourr confjidence." Rai reassured in proper cadence, "A Meorrrei alwajyss rrewarrdss herr frrjiendss."

[Phrexus Krale]

Again his teeth bared in a distorted 'smile'.

"I'm not your friend, I'm just here to make sure that the two of you don't turn into ice-treats out here."

Stepping back, Krale turned away from her to lumber his way out of the shower area and toward where he'd draped a pair of large trousers and an undershirt.

His towel was tossed over a drying rack, and he set about dressing himself.

"Tell me about this family of yours, Little One," his voice graveled out while pulling on his clothes.

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

He'd taken her literally. Rai wasn't surprised.

"We'rre not frrjiendss jin the ljiterral ssensse, no, but jyou'rre dojing me a favorr. That doessn't go unnotjiced. Mjy famjiljy valuess ssuch frrjiendsshjipss."

He asked about her family. Rai'faani opted to wrap a towel around herself before trying to explain.

"The Meorrrei arre an old and rresspected Barronjy. The mosst powerrful of the arrjisstocrratjic houssess on Carshoulis, ssave forr the rrojyal famjiljy."

[Phrexus Krale]

"Corusca gems in your bloodstream, then," he huffed out.

"Don't rely on that too much. I knew someone once, who thought she was much the same."

Thick fingers deftly worked the large buttons of his shirt.

"Said her family was important and long-standing, and for all of her fancy words, she still bled like everyone else."

He moved to a mirror, and leaned over the counter to begin inspecting his teeth. Seemingly unsatisfied, the Besalisk pulled a scrubbing brush from a travel pack, as well as a tube of cleaning paste.

"Don't trust anyone but yourself, Little One. Your own muscle is what will help you, not your name."

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

"jYou ssee the parrt of the galaxjy that'ss jin frront of jyou, what jyou can sshoot orr fjight hand-to-hand. jI admjit that jI have ljittle talent forr that, but a dessjirre to learrn."

The heiress clutched her shower kit, giving the Besalisk a pointed glance.

"Asss forr trrusst?"

She drew a vibro-knife from the pack, just far enough so that the light glinted on its blade.

"That jissn't a Meorrrei vjirrtue."

The weapon was returned to its scabbard, along with its implication. Rai'faani wasn't going to be anyone's victim.

[Phrexus Krale]

He paused momentarily in his scrubbing, the brush growing still as he looked down to the small vibro-knife she flashed. With a hmph, he let his eyes return to her own clear blues.

"And what is a Rai'faani virtue."

It was the first time he'd spoken her name.

Not 'girl'. Not 'Little One'. Rai'faani.

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

She considered the question put forth to her. It was an unusual one, in that Rai couldn't recall anyone ever bothering to ask it of her. She'd been asked thousands of times about qualifications and studies, of which she had no shortage of responses. But being a woman of letters was expected of an aristocrat. What, then?

"jI rrecall a lecturre on phjilossophjy jI attended jin unjiverrssjitjy. Thejy sspoke at length on vjirrtue. jIf jI rrecall, the pjillarrss of vjirrtue arre temperrance, prrudence, courrage, and jusstjice."

Rai'faani paused, frowning as she glanced to the side.

"jI posssesss none of thesse thjingss."

Her eyes returned to the Besalisk.

"But jI have otherr qualjitjiess."

[Phrexus Krale]

He let her have this moment. Though, he had no appetite to stand and try to guess anything, so he prodded her along.

"And those are... "