Carpathia IV: Episode 31 - Kit
Tokkastra
4 years ago
Though the sun had long since disappeared over the horizon, one would be forgiven for not noticing, for the lights of the shops, clubs, and restaurants glimmered in a wild, almost blinding, cacophony of visual noise. Signs flashed. Marquees blazed. Shop employees shouted their wares and deals to the crowd on the narrow street, though their voices blended with the crowd and each other so that few could understand what they were saying. It was a street that could easily be mistaken for almost any other street on Tokkastra, except for one thing.
This street sat near the border of the Savea Enclave.
Of the tens of thousands of family enclaves on Tokkastra, many considered the Savea Enclave the most notorious. Their leader, Rhalma Savea, served as 4th Minister in the Tokkastran Men's Assembly and his father founded the Tokkastra First movement to counter growing friendly relations with New Carpathia and espouse principles of Tokkastran purity. Locals knew the area as a place where dour, grumpy sorts sometimes showed up to harass other tokki who didn't conform to their ideals of purity. The wrong hair color, eye color, or having an ear sticking out in a funny way could get anyone roughed up at any time.
It was the sort of place where it was not advisable to wander around wearing a Carpathian Exploration Force uniform unless you were mad as a box of cats. Nalma was just such a person. He wanted other tokki to see him as a counterpoint to the hateful Savea Enclave.
Seeing Nalma proudly strolling the street in his uniform, most tokki gawked and took pictures while pointing and whispering. A few asked to pose with him for pictures, to which he happily agreed. Most shopkeepers pretended not to notice the conspicuously attired Nalma, though a few were openly hostile, even if they didn't outright throw him out of their establishments. The hawkers frequently went silent as he passed. Occasionally, some Savea tokki would pass, easily identifiable by their unusually luxurious collars. Some spat on him. Others were more aggressive and shoved him to the ground. Each time, Nalma took out a handkerchief to wipe himself off and continued cheerily on his way.
As Nalma passed a narrow alley, something unusual caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Poking out from behind a collection of trash cans was a single, lifeless leg. Alarmed, Nalma hurried into the alley, hoping the owner of the leg was still attached to it. To his relief, the leg harbored a complete tokki, slumped lazily, but alive, against the wall of the shop. The tokki was young, only 17 or 18, he figured, and covered in soot. Small lacerations dotted his face and under his torn clothes. The young tokki's collar told Nalma that he was a member of the Savea Enclave, and one who undoubtedly had a hard time of it. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Surely, an anathema to the hardline Saveas. Even worse was that one of the young tokki's ears stuck straight out from top of his head instead of bending in the very center, as most did. He was as impure as could be, in the eyes of the Savea Enclave. The only thing that could make this tokki's life worse is if he were monotype, one who prefers a single life partner.
Nalma put his hand under the chin of the young tokki and lifted his head. The young tokki's eyes twitched and opened just a sliver, but he was otherwise unresponsive. Nalma had to hold his head steady, for if he relaxed his grip in the slightest, the young tokki's head just rolled lazily to one side or the other. Nalma patted the young tokki's cheek.
Nalma: <Hey, you still with me?>
No response from the young tokki. Nalma, fearing the situation was dire, lifted up the young tokki's shirt.
Nalma: <Sorry, buddy. I have to check something.>
Nalma put his hand on the young tokki's stomach and felt around, squeezing and pinching around several areas from his lower ribs down to his waist. Finally, Nalma slipped his arms under the young tokki's legs and back and picked him up.
Nalma: <Hang in there. I'll get you to a doctor.>
Nalma, with the young tokki in his arms, sprinted off into the night.
Aire listened in rapt attention, without interrupting Nalma once during his story.
Nalma: Kit was a couple of hours, at best, away from death when I found him. I stayed by his bedside all night while the doctors tended to his digestive tract. It was severely blocked, and that is quickly fatal for a tokki. I took him into my care and encouraged him to enlist at the Carpathian Exploration Academy when he was well. He doesn't talk about his past, even to me. Looking the way he does and being monotype... it couldn't have been easy for him, growing up in a family of genetic purists.
Aire stroked his cheek, carefully considering Nalma's tale and what he already knew of Kit.
Aire: I had a notion that Kit had been through something terrible at some point in his life. This would explain the anger issues. I suspect he's suffering from some shellshock.
Nalma gave a sad smile and nodded.
Nalma: I know Kit's career up to now doesn't look very good on paper, but Commodore Amaranth and I think he has remarkable potential. I won't ask you to go easy on him. It wouldn't be right for him or anyone else if he were given special consideration for inappropriate behavior. I just want him to feel like he belongs here. It won't be easy for him. I suspect that he's never felt like he's belonged anywhere before.
Aire: I think I understand better now. Even Kit's punishment for this incident can help in that regard. He's being treated no differently than anyone else involved, but it's not really that simple, is it? I notice the Commodore seems to favor gentle encouragement when he's working with Kit.
Nalma: And Teek is confused by this, understandably, though his reaction is rather poor. He'll have to be dealt with in a way that works for him.
Aire paused and sighed before speaking again.
Aire: The Commodore likes a very complicated team, no doubt. A potential for greatness, for sure, and also for folly, if mismanaged. Thank you for your time, Nalma. If there is nothing else, you may return to your station.
Nalma rose from his chair and stood stiffly at attention.
Nalma: Yes, Commander! Let me know if you need anything else.
Commissioned art in this episode from:
Jenova87
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
