As she awoke, Raeyn struggled with her aching head and body. The dream had been interrupted not once, but twice now in the span of a single night. She knew peace for the first time in moons. Exhaustion still weighed heavily on her, but something else weighed on her. She felt a heavy arm holding her close and looping under her chest. Violetta held her close, but as soon as she attempted to get up, the blanket shifted and she found herself rolling as the blanket was pulled out from underneath her, bound for the ground, but Violetta’s hand kept her from falling.

   She said to wake her.

  Violetta stirred and sat up, taking her arm and the blanket around herself,

   She said, wondering where or why she would leave at all.

  As she slipped off the bed, the morning light passing through the cloth illuminated the small dug out earthen room. The upper layer of the ceiling had deep roots of the turf above cut down nearly a third of the height and the hard packed earth made up the rest of the wall. The open ceiling covered by a thin cloth did nothing to keep the natural warmth of the earth in, but the summer air was plenty warm. She stretched and placed her hands on her hips to twist and crack her back. Violetta watched her with an amused smile as she did this.

   She asked.

   Violetta stifled a giggle,

   She scowled,

  Violetta threw off the covers and got out of the bed beside Raeyn, the woman was slender and thicker than she had realized. Arms and legs had muscles and a little fat, but nothing like those powerful toned legs, each one close to twice her own in thickness, and a stomach that had some little lines. Her breasts were small orbs hanging off a mass of muscle on her chest. Violetta stretched, raising up on the ball of her toes and arched her back before dipping down and touching her toes.

   Violetta said as she repeated this to the left and right sides of her body, and twisting to show her muscle definition off to her,

   She said innocently enough, but it was not taken that way.

   She covered her groin as she dipped down into a crouch and covered her legs and armpits,

   She immediately made it awkward and struggled for an explanation, but it came out wrong,

  Violetta growled and shook her head,

   She pressed,

  

   She explained.

   Violetta stood up and over her again, almost proud of her form now,

  She deliberately scowled at Violetta,

  Violetta cracked her knuckles overhead,

   She was excited and watched as Violetta pulled out two long towels from the side of the pallet and unfurled them over head, draping one around herself from shoulder to knee and tucked a corner under right left armpit,

   Violetta handled the towel to her,

  Violetta knelt down and looked her over carefully, it was awkward as she looked at her armpits and her chest for a usually long time before saying,

  Her finger pressed right over her heart, and she felt the blood drain from her face. Violetta’s eyes widened and she pulled her finger away quickly,

   She knew it was the same place in the dream where Maelyn was stabbed, but why would she know that exact point? And what did she mean by having ‘erupted’ in blood?

   Violetta changed the subject and stood up, bothered as if she was wrestling with the question for a while,

   She said,

   Violetta asked.

   She was confused and stared ahead at the indentation in Violetta's belly. It looked like her birthing scar never healed.

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   Violetta kept probing with more and more strange questions.

   She fired back in frustration, still gazing at her navel.

   Violetta had been staring down at her harshly which was reason enough to not look up,

   She had to find the word.

   Violetta grumbled,

   She realized the expression for what it was, and she felt herself get embarrassed at the implications being placed on her,

   Violetta snickered, and her expression became strange as the topic came up,

   She said hastily,

   Violetta laughed,

  She seemed intrigued for a fraction of a second until she understood,

   Violetta giggled,

  Such things flowed into her mind that Violetta could see the shock spreading over her as the knowledge and understanding visibly corrupted her innocence with understandings that went far beyond the primal essentials. Violetta grinned seemingly taking great enjoyment in shocking her.

   Violetta asked,

   She panted and threw the towel over herself and tucked it in. Tightly wound, it was three layers thick around her body, but she wanted it to be even thicker,

  

   She continued her warning,

  Violetta’s eyes widened and she was defeated in an instant. What had been her idea of teasing suddenly turned to a pained expression and tears welled up in her eyes having realized that she had taken it too far. Amongst the shock of finding out such acts were common and celebrated, even holy, among Mahn was a step too far. For all the beauty and emotion tied to such things, she felt the revulsion for a bunch of reasons. Of all the reasons, it was the one-sided notion of that hunger which Violetta seemed to hint at.

   She asked after a moment, but Violetta turned away,

   Violetta sat on the edge of the pallet and bowed her head,

   She approached Violetta and offered a hug with outstretched arms,

  Violetta pulled her into a hug,

  She had seen it, but she had never seen such a creature like Violetta before. Her body was powerful, graceful and beautiful in its own strange way, but it was nothing sexual. Like appreciating a beast for its form and beauty. Like a fattened sow. A terrible thought given how Mahn impressed the same upon Gobbos, but Violetta was a strong and beautiful woman. As an enemy she was formidable, and those muscles were unlike anything she had ever seen in a Gobbo. Her inner flame must be akin to four furnaces, blazing with strength. Belos wanted her to trick and deceive her, but not like this. What she was implying was completely insane!

  

   Violetta whimpered,

   Raeyn realized it,

  Violetta’s buried her face in her hands,

  

  

   She did not know if it was anger, fear, betrayal or confusion that came through, but Violetta reacted with shame and pulled back to bury her head in her hands.

   Violetta whimpered and started to cry,

   She decided to give her one more hug, holding her tight just like back in that strange room filled with statues,

   Violetta hugged her back but kept crying what sounded like genuine tears from true shame over what she had done.

   She teased back as she broke away.

   Violetta nodded,

   She agreed, trying to push the thoughts from her mind,