Two Eyes Cenote Are we having fun yet?

There had been shouting at home and for all of Kiyya's imagination and playful bravado, he found himself shying away. By the time he drummed up the courage to investigate he found the scene disheveled and bloody, with the scents of his sisters spiraling off in different directions.

It occurred to Kiyya that he should find his parents, get their help; but he was also a loyal brother, and this was behavior that would get everyone in trouble, so he elected to do an investigation alone.

The path he chose took him on a circuitous route, and by chance it led him to @Tiye — or, at least her scent was the one that grew more prominent.

something follows her to the baths — at first she worried it was the red mazoi, re but instead sharp lavender meets the baby blues of kiyya.

though her expression softens, tiye doesn't mince her words. what do you want? a back scrub? and she dips into the waters, loosening her tense shoulders as the warmth of the water relaxes them.

It was Tiye! Judging by her reaction to him, she was having an off day. She didn't snap at him nearly as clever-like, and she didn't even try to start a play-fight.

Kiyya could smell the blood from the door.

He wasn't his usual bubbly self as he came over to watch her in the pool; as happy as he was to see her, his tail only waved a few times, cautiously.

What happened? He was doomed to be a himbo, but in the moment his concern over his sister gave him a few more points to intelligence.

You and 'fiya? I... I cleaned up a little. Maybe that was the wrong call, but he didn't want them to get in trouble!

i dunno anyone named "fiya." tiye yanks her head away from kiyya as she settles into the bath. so i don't know what you're talking about. but her expression softens just a little as she peaks at kiyya from her peripheral. she didn't have the guts to give her thanks, but the gesture doesn't go unappreciated despite her attitude.

mazoi being meatheaded as always. it's nothing. tiye plays with the rippling waters. it wasn't his business what happened between the girls, though he did her job for her by cleaning up, so she can't afford to snap at him. besides, he didn't put her in any danger. oh! avoid the prisons. there's a pervert there. i don't want you to become like him.

His lips pursed as he frowned, lightly. Things between his sisters shifted like the Serpent River and Kiyya did not often pay attention enough to keep up. He didn't remember a day that was this bad though; there wasn't normally blood shed, or the emancipation of one sister from another.

The boy didn't have much time to mull it over, as Tiye mentioned someone in the prisons. What's a pervert?

Wait, scratch that — Wait you went to the prisons? Why?! His voice climbed; he sounded more awed and joyous about it than he should have.

a pervert's a creep. and bad. probably.

why? it's none of your business, that's why! im just warning you, ugh! you're so nosey. tiye pouts her lip forward. just be glad it was me and not safiya who's telling you this — she's defending the mangy mutt that lives down there!

The word was added to his growing lexicon. Okay, so a pervert was a bad guy — that made sense, given he lived in the prison. It also made sense why Safiya might be there if she had guard duty; it was a noble job. Tiye resisted his probing with her usual acidity, and Kiyya took that all in stride.

Well that ain't right, he murmurs in regard to Safiya's defense. Buh she's always been like that, Tiye. Y'know. It had never seemed like a problem before. But, what did Kiyya know? He was built different; the girls were always sniping at one-another, and he kept far away from drama if he could help it.

well she's mazoi now, so she needs to change and quickly. a weak mazoi dooms the rest of us. she huffs. are you trying to make me mad? do you think it's funny? she turns completely from her bath to face kiyya and his stupid round face.

..you should learn from this. don't you want to be mazoi? he was just as meatheaded as the rest, so he fit in perfectly. just needs to grow up more.

His tail tucked a moment. When she faced him he was a little shy, averting his gaze, licking his lips; showing signs of obeisance and worry for that split second.

You're scared for her. He was a himbo but this much seemed obvious.

'Da is trainin' her. She just started, Tiye. How impatient his sister was! But the concern made sense. Kiyya agreed, he knew they all needed to be tougher if they were going to be strong mazoi.

Besides, you're not a mazoi. You're being unfair.

no i'm not! tiye sputters. i'm scared of her. who cares if she just started, clearly she's good enough to get a whole stupid banquet! i don't need to be mazoi to know when i have a terrible guard. tiye stands from the waters now, tall as she possibly could. 

both you and kheti are cowards. that why you didn't become mazoi with her. at least she has a spine, even if no brain connects to it.

Tiye exploded with insults and as hurtful as it was to hear, Kiyya didn't take it fully to heart. He didn't say anything else about Safiya though - as that seemed to be making things worse when he did.

When his sister called him a coward he felt a lance go through him, aimed true. He wanted to tell her no, or demand she stop, but he also knew she was to some degree, right.

Kiyya shrank. Tiye and he were equal in age, passion, and skill at this point in their lives, but she seemed convinced that she knew better than even their father.

You'll be alone forever, Tiye. His eyes were glistening and he didn't think about how he looked, how it might feed Tiye's ego to see how acutely her words affected him; but he looked at her now with unabashed hurt.

With a sniffle, the boy concluded, You'll be alone and you'll deserve it! And even as he said this, the boy was scrambling to turn and go, fleeing like the coward he apparently was.

theres a stiff silence when kiyya speaks again first. tiye deliberates on her surprise, craning her head up just slightly, and thinking. then with the ferocity that both parents had blessed and cursed her with, tiye scowls towards her brother. 

good. i don't need dead weight dragging me down anyways. she continues to severe her ties. tiye watches her brother leave with tucked tail. she sinks back into her bath, and hopes the regret washes away too.