Surely not, Kerem stopped on his way past the room that he had carefully added on to the house to belong solely to the small girl that shared, for her fortune or not, his blood and listened closely to the tale that Airenn was telling Vallia as both were on her bed, one below the covers the other sitting along the edge of the bed, peering into the pages of the book. He was sure he'd heard something ...extra in Airenn's voice that wasn't there previously - he'd been sure of it when he'd tested out the infuriating inherited slave right after ensuring her health from the other fool who'd not seen the diamond under the coal dust as he had quickly. Now that is either Zygomi laughing at me or else someone truly hates that girl. he mused walking down the hall to his private quarters closing the door to meditate and pray on it. For if it were truly a blessing... it would be difficult to convince the contrary little shit to see it his way unless he ... There was a dark smile across the drow's face as he realized that there was only one way to know for sure and that was to supremely piss the small elven woman off and see what poured out of her besides the words of venom and murder, and if he was right by Zygomi's boots it was going to be most intriguing to see what else was locked up in that clever, wicked mind and the road to discovery was going to be pleasing indeed. For him at least, for Airenn ... not so much.
It would be a few weeks later before Kerem would hear that tingling treble again and it spawned in him more ideas of how to provoke it out, rather than those who would normally just burst into it, Airenn was not most people. Of all the slaves in the Underdark, it would have to be an elf, and of all the elven slaves it would have to be one with a sharp mind, sharper tongue and quicker temper. Kerem mused watching the small woman beginning to teach the child they shared between them a simple game of strategy with remarkable patience and the more notable lack of her sharp tongue - Vallia had so far been spared Airenn's wicked temper and for that Kerem was secretly relieved. Lashing out at a child, his child there was no mistaking the stamp of his blood in the child's veins was a sure fire example of the death wish he was sure that Airenn possessed. Of course, death would have been far too kind, there were worse fates than death and he knew most of them...
An hour passed and he watched Airenn's patient cleanup of the game as Vallia climbed up into his lap a petulant, agitated look on her face, "Mama says bedtime but I am not tired you tell her..."
"No." Kerem said with a calm, patient look to the young girl with her mother's green eyes. "Mama's right it grows late and you need to sleep to grow but I am sure if you ask you can delay long enough to have a snack with me." he said as he caught Airenn's eye noting the subtle nod to her pale head.
"Mama can I have snack with Papa?" Vallia asked with a look that was pure triumph as Airenn's gaze flicked to the child's.
"Only if you get your backside in that bed and go to sleep afterwards." Airenn replied with a sharper, mildly irritated edge to her voice that warned both her child and Kerem of her growing agitation before she poured herself a glass of one of the stronger wines and left him to find a suitable snack for the child and left him to tuck the squirming grumpy child into bed though she heard him indulge her in a brief story from one of the books they'd procured for her.
"Walk with me," Kerem said tapping her shoulder interrupting Airenn's silent brood in the main room, "Do not worry, none shall disturb Vallia's rest this night," he said with a silent grin, "If they do I am confident that Lor'thrael will take care of the problem promptly." he said as the woman appeared beside him in a very distinct form, one that the child would not fear, rather than her birthright state- that of a woman with dark skin, black hair and black eyes clad in armor not unlike Kerem's normal garb minus the Zygomite twists. "Watch my house," he said looking to the woman who nodded gravely.
"None who do not belong shall have passage through that door." the voice was low, smooth and dark not unlike the mood Kerem appeared to be in.
In one of the few displays of affection - partly because it disturbed Airenn - Kerem adjusted and closed her heavy dark cloak around her shoulders before flicking her hood grinning as she swore at him vehemently in drow.
"Come now, it's not so bad." he said teasingly and ducked knowing the small elf was quick to temper and quick to retaliate the small snowball whizzed just past his ear. "Airenn," the warning came in a soft tone that sent a tremble of caution up her spine.
"Fine, which way are we going?" she snapped at him falling into step with the larger shape, noticing that he slowed his gait to match her shorter stride almost habitually.
"North, into the mountains but not so close to the cats you hate so much, I still think you over-react to fur." he commented grunting at the automatic jab of her elbow into a place where metal plate met plate, "Do you really want a beating?" he stopped walking and grabbed her shoulder twisting her around so that they were facing each other, "For you are going to push my patience before we even arrive and get one."
Airenn's response was vehement and vitrolic in his native tongue, which she had adapted to the way most elves spoke their own tongue and he growled lowly to himself before picking her up by her neck, enjoying the momentary panic in her eyes before unceremoniously dropping her into a large snow pile uttering a grunted warning.
"Keep up."
"Bugger off," he just barely heard her muttered reply though his pace remained the steady, slow pace up the mountain and wound around to avoid the cats figuring that he was going to piss her off enough as it was with his suggestions that night no sense in putting the vile-tempered elf into a foul mood before it was necessary.
Airenn's eyes narrowed as she recognized the place he had led her to folding her arms over her chest, "I remember this place, why are we here?" Kerem removed his helm and set it on the rock nearby and stared at her for a moment.
Kerem knew that Airenn remembered things for two reasons, one if they gave her a great deal of pleasure, such as seeing the world from Vallia's still-innocent view or enraged her the way Deloria's mere breathing in her presence seemed to piss her off. His wrath was, currently, enough to keep the two of them working together if any outsider were a threat to the 'family; especially to Vallia. That girl was one of the few things they both prized, and in different ways. Vallia had honed and tempered Airenn's venom like treated steel, but it had never been aimed directly at her - and Kerem suspected there was jealousy there on Del's part, having been his first but also that it was a prized female child. Drow females held precious female children, and a few times he had spied Deloria teaching the girl here and there when she thought no one else was looking. He also knew Airenn would kill Deloria without a thought and tell him to piss off if he reacted to that, if harm came to Vallia in her care.
"Your rapiers." Kerem demanded firmly enjoying her umbrage and fury as she slammed them into his gauntleted hands, making him thankful that he had the forethought to dress in armor for this - those blades were sharp and vicious hell-forged presented to him by Zygomi for the venomous creature knowing that Airenn would have dumped them had they been given by the Elshara herself. "Calm yourself, I haven't tested you in some time and tonight is a good night."
"Screw you," was the merry reply as he placed them into his pack and sealed it patiently.
"No, not today," Kerem answered moving away from the small elf deciding to put his helm into the pack as well lifting her to stand on the top of the rock putting her closer to eye level with him. "I haven't tested your skill in awhile, not since you were so generously 'given' to me by someone who figured losing a slave was less than losing his life." he grinned flicking her nose, "I say the bastard got the better end some days, others I think I did he'd have wasted your rather formidable charm." he grinned as she hissed an irate word in answer. "Now, I noticed something the last time you were reading to Vallia and I thought I'd see if it was a fluke of your blood or one of those street-rat habits of yours come up because you're growing up the rest of the way." he said grinning as she batted his hand away from her face with bared teeth.
It developed quickly into the longest hours he'd shared with the infuriating, impatient and vehement elf but before end he had heard the full fledge of the whisper of her voice - the song in full and it sent his aging spirit soaring and refreshed tired old bones. "I was right!" there was malicious pleasure in the old drow's voice as he crowed out his victory and pulled the elf by the arm and set about honing that beautiful, wicked voice.
***
It would be the same for the next weeks, punctuated by some successes and several setbacks as well. Airenn was as violent mooded as ever - more so since he had confiscated her blades and that was something she made no secret for disliking. But each night that beautiful voice improved and set him into an inspired mood until the night he had been waiting for using every ounce of his patented Airenn-required patience and dropped her into the middle of a half-dozen small cats relishing in her murderous glare first at him then them before she burst out with a song of a different sort, a songstress' prized weapon - the cursed song. The cats fell stunned and the lightest kick of her foot sent them into oblivion. Kerem was momentarily pleased that he hadn't set her into the arctic cat lands - he wasn't in the mood to deal with the proud Ata-Omari-Pili over his prized pet's hatred of all things furry, though it amused him she tolerated the cat himself. Of course, the cat too had his uses....
Two moons in, the real work began as he put her through the paces over and over of her new spells and endured with sometimes gritted teeth her swearing fits and small explosions thankful that even her cursed song didn't affect him as it would some. She was vicious in a temper and he liked it as he walked with her to a wide flat, meadow filled still with snow to hindered unwelcome visitors of most sorts. "Now, we work again that voice of yours is a work of art I expect you to keep up with," he smiled darkly, "But the body I won't tolerate negligence in either."
Airenn's green eyes glinted in the moonlight as she stood a shadow of grey and black snarling at him, "Might I remind you who took my blades?" her malevolent hiss was a far cry from the seemingly innocuous temperament of an almost-child that he had inherited only a few decades before.
"I did," he answered easily enjoying her simmering rage, "But I want to see if I can teach you anything else new to go with that voice you kept to yourself." he answered withdrawing a long staff from his supplies, "No blade first it won't do me any good you cut my head off trying to learn now will it?" he said handing her the long sturdy wood shaft. "Prove me you can manage this and I will increase your difficulty until you earn back a blade worthy of your skill."
Two hours later Airenn sat on the spread out cloak - Kerem's in fact devouring the meal he had the forethought to bring greedily for her. 'If Airenn has one weakness it is food,' Kerem mused thought watching her destroy the contents of the basket and the sweet, nourishing tea he had concocted partly to preserve her voice. 'Amusing the little monster stayed because of a bed and food even when she definitely wanted to run.'
"One more hour and that will be sufficient for a first day," he said calmly enjoying her fatigue she showed knowing that Airenn would drop face-down in her bed exhausted which would leave him time to think about her progress and the burgeoning favor he was starting to notice.
"Bath," he said an hour and a half later to the elf allowing himself a bit of affection to creep through the hard mask of a trainer he had taken up easily, "You'll be no use tomorrow's practice a waste if you don't properly wind down those muscles."
Kerem's low laugh was the response to her rude gesture before stalking down the hall to his room and bathroom slamming the doors quite sure her response only surfaced greater laughter.
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