Meditating inna bath

Sep 21, 2005 14:13

The part of Tahiri that grew up in the deserts of Tatooine and in numerous military ships and bases during the war still thinks that standing water is an amazing sight. Enough water to jump in, to immerse yourself in for as long as you'd like, is an extravagance that she had not experienced for years. Much like being served hot chocolate anytime you want- it was rare enough back home before the war, and now almost impossible to find.

The Yuuzhan Vong part of her also loves standing water, but prefers to swim in it rather than bathe. That's why most of her time here before was spent in the lake, splashing around like a crecheling. It was something that both sides of her could fully enjoy.

This time, Tahiri wants the comfort of the water without the need for exercise, so she heads up to her room (thank the gods it had still been here when she came back) and the refresher there. There is a bathtub, another of the simple extravagances Milliways offers, and she fills it with hot water that steams and hisses. It turns her skin bright red when she gets in, making the scars stand out like bold stripes that might only have been painted on.

Tahiri can think of only a handful of people here in Milliways who understand what scars mean.

The human definition is blandly clinical: a scar happens when torn tissue knits. It is a sign of healing. The Yuuzhan Vong side (which she has come to understand much better in the past five years) can't describe it as clearly. Tahiri thinks she knows anyway.

Their fascination with (fixation on) scars and the decision to see them as divine makes sense, if you think about it. When a Yuuzhan Vong is hurt, there is always a chance that the injury will turn bad- gangrene, infection, sepsis.

Therefore any injury, especially a gaping wound, puts your life into the gods' hands. If the gods find you worthy then they will be merciful- you heal clean and are left with a shiny pale scar and when you see the scar in the future, how can you help but remember their kindness?

By the same token, if the gods are not pleased then your injury gets infected and you might lose any number of things- the limb, your health, the respect of your (creche domain caste) species. Your life.

Scars mark individuals. One who has many of the pale lines spidering across their skin is obviously blessed to have been shown so much pity. If you see someone with open sores and infections, it is another clear sign- this one is reviled by the gods, and you would do well to stear clear of them.

Tahiri has seen too much of the galaxy to believe in the gods in a real, conscious sense. Not like her (crechemates family) friends back on Zonama Sekot. But the superstition is strong, and something that is not easily shaken.

Some of her injuries (it sounds strange to call them war wounds, but that's exactly what they are) have been lucky enough to heal- the sign of Domain Kwaad on her forehead, an amphistaff's slash on her abdomen.

Others, though, she wonders about.

Myrkr left a gaping hole in her heart (and what is a heart but another muscle?) where Anakin had been. Anakin who had showed up here at the end of all things, still as perfect and handsome as the day he died. Tahiri thought this particular wound had healed and scarred over long ago, but scars like these had a tendency to burst open if you stretched them too hard. Milliways liked to do that- test old injuries to see how much they could take before they reopened and you started bleeding anew.

Some deep wounds never completely healed, and some scarred over so badly that the affected limb was warped and twisted and never worked quite as easily as it had before.

Sometimes Tahiri wondered if that's what had happened to her. The gods had seen fit to mend her body and her mind, but not her soul.

It wasn't right out there for the worlds to see, like the Extolled (Shamed) Ones, but she felt it. Like a stiff joint when you'd been sitting down for too long, it just needed to be stretched. Exercised until it was limber and strong enough to hold your weight.

Yes, that was it. Maybe a little exercise would help.
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