Chapter 271: Side Quest: Prasaad aur Balidaan

The brilliant morning sun warmed Krethik’s back as he knelt on the dampened ground. He’d washed the previous day’s piece clean and hovered over the cool stone expanse with a wooden bowl in one hand and a paintbrush in the other.

“Kanninan maa mathilpudaisoozh,” he softly sang as he dipped the bristle into the soaked rice flour once more.

A careful swoop of his paintbrush here, a mirrored curve there. The floral kolam had near-perfect symmetry, but he still had trouble capturing the same beauty within the lines that his mother had flawlessly executed day after day.

“Kanapuraththen karamaniye— ah, good morning,” he murmured to a bird with striking pink feathers as it hopped to the edge of the kolam. “Here to break your fast?”

The bird trilled two sweet notes, then pecked at a bit of the dried rice flour. Krethik smiled and resumed humming the nostalgic lullaby as he added another swirling corner to the design. Familiar padded footsteps caught his ear, but he continued to work.

“You’re awake early,” he said once Naeemah was in earshot. “Another nightmare?”

“Yes.” 

Krethik’s heart broke for Naeemah—she’d never known her parents. When Krethik had arrived in Rājadhānī, Naeemah had sought him out and demanded he take her into his Party. She had no traditions of her own, and her only role model was an overworked woman with a short temper.

The young woman sat far enough away that she wouldn’t disturb the bird. “You really do this every day?”

“I do. As my mother did and her mother before her,” Krethik replied with a nod.

“But… your mother wasn’t a catgirl, right?” Naeemah tilted her head to the side, keeping her voice low. “I… my nyanny never did that.”

“Correct. This is not a custom of Nyarlea, so far as I’ve learned.”

Naeemah blinked, then pulled her knees to her chest. “It’s pretty.”

After his limited time on the island, he’d gathered that joining his Party was a dangerous proposition. The life of men in these lands was often short and perilous. But he couldn’t say no to the determination in her eyes.

Naeemah began their companionship in silence, sticking to the shadows when they traveled and closed to idle conversation. He did not wish to push her and hoped she would come to trust him. Poruthar boomi alvar, as his father often said. The one with patience shall rule the world.

And his patience was rewarded just after the last full moon. She’d approached him in confidence about her nightmares. Dark dreams that rendered the teen feeling helpless. Ones that blessedly seemed to dissipate the longer they shared company.

Naeemah inched closer to the kolam. She rocked to the balls of her feet, her dark tail flickering behind her. Her eyes followed a trail of tiny beetles making their way to dine beside the bird. “Why feed the Encroachers?”

“Do they not feed us? Both in Experience and physically?” Krethik asked.

“Yes, but that’s…” She worked her jaw and furrowed her brow, thinking on her response. He wondered what had made it so difficult for her to speak freely. “Isn’t that what they’re supposed to do?”

“And who decided that?” Krethik asked patiently. He enjoyed each opportunity gifted to him to learn more about Nyarlea through Naeemah’s eyes.

Naeemah laid one finger on the ground, letting the insects walk over her dark skin. “Hm. Saoirse, I guess.”

Krethik nodded. The goddess of the world. While a feline goddess wasn’t far removed from the deities of his own upbringing, he’d often wondered if his gods had forsaken him in his rebirth. Laxmi, will you bless this dwelling? 

He pushed the thought away and continued. “Even if it’s what they’re meant to do, I believe we should thank them for their sacrifice.”

“Why?” She raised her hand close to her face. The beetle wandered to her wrist, and her ears leaned forward with interest.

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“Because we share this world together. Our home, together,” Krethik explained. He added the final dots around the outward circles and set the bowl aside to stretch. “Each plant, creature, and person deserves our respect.”

Naeemah lowered her arm, allowing the insect to return to the rice flour. In a high, strained voice, she asked, “What about the Defiled?”

“Mm.” The nyanny Naeemah had stayed with mentioned the possibility of a Defiled claiming the lives of Naeemah’s parents. “The Defiled are also deserving of our respect. However, it does not mean that they will show reverence in return.” He leaned back on his hands and locked her gaze. “People are the same way. Always hold your head high, Naeemah. No matter how you find yourself treated.”

Naeemah slowly nodded and let her knees fall to the side to sit cross-legged. She chewed her lower lip as she reached into her [Cat Pack], withdrawing a small brown pouch. “I… I had an idea. For your design, if I may.”

Krethik grinned. “Of course.”

“I found a lot of extra sumac in the kitchens. I— er, I liked the color.” She blushed and reached into the pouch. “And, I think…” Her thoughts trailed as she withdrew a pinch of the deep red spice. She leaned forward, careful not to disturb the lines of the kolam, and sprinkled the sumac in thumb-sized circles at the centers of each flower.

“That’s beautiful, Naeemah,” Krethik marveled. “You have an eye for art.”

Her blush deepened. “I-It’s nothing, really. You did the hard part.” She pressed the tip of her forefinger into the center of the red hills, adding small divots to each circle.

“Nonsense. You’re very good at this.”

Naeemah finished and replaced the pouch inside of her pack. “Would it be okay…” She hesitated, tugging her black braid over her shoulder and peppering it red with her spice-covered fingers. “I mean, would you mind if I helped you with these? In the morning?”

“I would be honored to have you with me, Naeemah.”

“Thank you, Krethik.” Naeemah beamed—one of the first true smiles he’d ever seen from the young woman. It was lovely; a reward he held close to his heart. Like standing witness to a blooming glory lily vine.

He returned her smile and stood, circling the kolam and extending his hand. “Shall we begin our day?”

Naeemah took his hand in hers and stood. “Yes, please.”

---

Naeemah knelt in the castle’s main hall, a brush in one hand, a bowl of golden paint in the other. More pots of paint lined the back wall with bowls stationed at their sides, ready to be used once she’d completed the outline of her kolam. She’d traded her satins and silks for a pair of white trousers and a green fitted top with long sleeves and a high collar.

This was the largest design she’d ever attempted, and she wanted it to stay a part of the citadel’s history. A permanent remnant of the man who changed her life.

“Your Highness? You called for me?” Jeenie appeared at the door leading from the dining hall.

“Yes,” Naeemah replied without looking up. It was time to return all of Krethik’s designs to Rājadhānī. “We must return the Encroachers in the training grounds to their homes.”

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