Capricious Kettle

It wouldn't be so bad if Nia were the only girl on board the Marsanes. Well, there's Obrona, of course, but she's more like Akhos's perfect pair partner than anyone or anything that has anything to do with Nia. The point being, she thinks she'd be alright being a proper outcast from the entire group, just eking by with the tail of an Eks between her legs as she struggles to successfully do out Jin's lowest-tier and -stakes bidding, et cetera.

But she's not the only one. Patroka's here. And Patroka definitely doesn't like having Nia here to intrude on her queen-bee space. She already hated enough to have Mikhail here as a first-rate queen.

With that in mind, when Patroka barks out that she's heading into the training room to do some sparring, Nia has by now learned that that means she and Dromarch are ordered to follow.

Well. She is. Dromarch is ordered to stay behind, and take a nap with crown bare.

It must be sadism, Nia figures, because she's not that great of a fighter, with the twin rings (especially without Dromarch there; they're practically just pieces of plastic), and there's no way she's bringing out her scimitar no matter how much any of these Flesh Eaters might profess to understand.

Jin hadn't made her show and tell, and if Jin doesn't make her, she won't do it.

No, she'll just let Patroka beat her up, instead, sputtering on self-channeled heals. At least she doesn't bring Perdido.

In the beginning, while Patroka put her through the paces with that terrifyingly huge blade on her bardiche, Nia tried to talk back, answering the taunts in fits and starts. Stuff about if she's weak, if they'll have to pick up her slack, if she's going to get spooked and turn tail and run.

It doesn't escape Nia that Jin's chronic health issues, in myriad forms and functions, are the most frequent to be seen among this crew. But does she dare point this out? No, of course not. She's too busy gasping for breath.

Merciless. Unhittable. And so, so heavy-handed.

Nia really should tell her no. Really, she should call Patroka out for all how incessant and insensible this is. Where's even the glory to be had in smacking a little Gormotti Driver around the room, right into the mats on the walls with great, grievous thuds, again and again?

Jin took her because she needed to be taken, somehow, someway. Malos let him because he doesn't really care, and when he does, it's only about what Jin wants. Mikhail sucks up, and Akhos has his own opinions. To say nothing of Cressidus, the quiet giant, or Sever, the hissing lizard.

Seems there really is no guarantor for this poor little kitty.

"So, uh, Patroka," Nia calls from her place in the corner, chest keeled over knees. No point in getting up; she'll just crunch over another thirty inadvisable degrees. "Not that I'm not so happy to have the honor, but, ah..." breathe, breathe, "who'd you get to dance this dance with you when you didn't have lil' ol' me around?"

Patroka stalks over on her impossible geta, hauls Nia up by her collar. Nia goes, of course, bones already limp and hanging off her meat suit.

"You don't wanna know."

Well, duh. Whatdidja think would happen, when you ask a catty question like that?