Juliet's Tryst

Chapter 7: Gninluk

Juliet pulled at the necklace as she walked into her apartment. Why would she wear a token of her affection? It felt incredibly possessive.

Her hands reached for the necklace as her fingers felt around in hopes of finding a clasp. There was none. She tried pulling and again, this time harder for the second time. It stayed firm.

She tugged on it as hard as she could, ignoring the sharp pain of metal pressing into her neck.. Any other necklace would have broken immediately, but this one stayed firm. The pliers came out.

The sound of a small clatter as the damned thing hit the floor made her exhale loudly in relief. She stared at it for a moment while she felt something wrong contort in her stomach. Everything about this was absurd to her. She looked at the mirror, seeking guidance from the reflection yet only terror stared back.

Juliet dreamt of her that night. Dee laughed, kissed her, held her, and even rocked her to sleep. She dreamt that Dee put the necklace back around her neck, tutting at her in gentle disapproval. She also dreamt of Dee's hair, touching it, running her hands through it.

There were memories trying to re-emerge that had not happened. Maybe they were memories long gone. In one of those memories, they traveled to strange and far away places. She saw what she imagined a life would be together. A unique ache colored each visage. She missed having Dee by her side. Something lost eons ago.

There was a sudden darkness. Blood, colorless, spewing everywhere. Dee disappeared into a white liquid, disintegrating. She plunged a spear through her own chest. She held Juliet's face as the poison ran through their bodies.

She shot up in bed, gasping only to let out a hysterical scream. Grief. Her body ached everywhere as she was filled with emotional and physical excitation.

A life bond that can never be broken.
A life bond that can never be broken.
Dee...

She cocooned herself in her blankets, her body at the mercy of the sobs. A life bond that could never be broken. How many lifetimes lived together? How many times was Dee lost, killed, murdered? How many times had they reunited? What the ever loving fuck was happening?

Her phone lit up the ceiling. Dee's name was blurry: Please call me, Juliet.

She threw the phone to the other side of the bed. The ceiling of her room was blue once more.

Especially if you cannot sleep.

How did that damned woman know ? The thoughtfulness made her cry harder. She pushed Dee away for no reason and yet, who would have foreseen consequences such as this? No one had such an adverse reaction to pushing away a potential lover. This was not normal. It was time to stop fighting and accept the help the universe had so kindly offered.

"Hello?" The voice was incredibly soft against the silence. She calmed down enough to stop sobbing.

"Hey, Dee," Juliet whispered, "What is happening to me? How do I make it stop?"

"There is only one way. Be by my side, alara."

"What is it? Why me?" Pathetic sharp intakes of breath peppered the silence.

"You are feeling the full force of the daeestra. We call it the gninluk ["nin-luck"], the call of the heart. A daeestra is rare, a phenomenon since the beginning of Kyrion time."

"Why do you feel it for me and not someone of your own kind?"

Dee laughed, a sordid sound. The question hit a nerve.

"We are primal. Pairings are strictly male and female." She replied.

"So?"

"I could never be attracted to a male of my kind. It is simply not in my chemistry."

"So, you are a lesbian?"

"The Kyrion equivalent, yes."

"It was not obvious before." She rolled her eyes before continuing, "That still doesn't answer my question. Why me?"

There was nothing but silence for a while.

"The daaestra is not necessarily romantic. Many of the greatest Kyrion inventors felt the daaestra for their craft. The nature of the daaestra to be strange and unpredictable. It pulls our kind into new avenues."

"Strange is a good way to put it. Are you sure we are compatible...physically that is?" What a stupid question that was. Their humanoid form could extend into the hips.

"We are compatible Juliet." Dee's tone lowered conspiratorially, "I cannot wait for the moment you let me prove it to you. We are more compatible than you can currently imagine."

"That's great." She replied, scrunching the blanket up in her free hand.

"Absolutely dandy." Dee purred, "Now, a certain human should go back to sleep for their health."

"Right."

"I could come over-"

"No, that will not be necessary."

"There will come a day when you do not defy everything I say." Dee growled. THis made Juliet smile like a fool. Probably not.

"I can sing you a lullaby. It will help ease your anxious body."

Juliet put the phone down onto the pillow next to her. Dee hummed a strange tune, interspersed with clicks and alien speaking. It was like a track used for hypnosis or meditation. Juliet was asleep long before Dee finished singing.

"I will never allow us to be apart after this. You will not be able to disobey me so flagrantly." The Kyrion listened to her lover's steady breathing until the line went dead.

———

NikNik Gninluck - Ancient Kyrion Lullaby
[Translated and Edited by J.L.]

The universe is long and wide,
I see the stars right by your side,
I cannot fathom life without
My Love.
I have traveled much too far,
To see your face and feel your scars-
I cannot fathom life without
My Love.
Though I have seen the suns rise,
And I have seen them fall,
There is nothing,
There is nothing,
Like your call.
Oh Gninluck -
It hurts too much to be apart.
It hurts too much to stay afar,
I cannot fathom life without
My Love.
Oh Gninluck,
Bring my love back to me.
Bring them safe, bring them free,
I cannot fathom life without My Love.

Edited by the lovely -MissElle