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"That pleasure which is at once the most intense, the most elevating, and the most pure, is, I believe, found in the contemplation of the beautiful."

-Edgar Allan Poe

The two strangers remained still, staring at each other in the dim light of the cavern.

Since the Vela'Alari, this was the first living creature Neiame had directly encountered. That is, without obliterating its very essence as a reaction to her murderous spiritual appetite. She had managed to calm herself, to momentarily tame the beast within herself. This was not to say the collective hunger of the innumerable souls she had consumed would stay passive. A single slip could mean this person would join her many other hapless victims.

Luckily for both of them, this did not happen.

Neiame's current count of eighteen eyes was locked onto the stranger's single pair, which was hidden behind dark tinted goggles, likely used for protection from the dark environment outside. Her garb consisted of cloth wrappings and thick leather, a material unknown to the Alari woman. The person's eight foot tall yet curvaceous shape was the only indicator of her gender, as no skin was visible.

The complete opposite of Neiame, who sat in the cave's floor on her knees, her entire body exposed.

"There's something I was not expecting..."

Neiame closed her eyes for a few seconds as she tried to understand what had just happened. She knew this language was not Alari, it was very distorted and sharp for her ears. Yet she understood every word. In the past, her people had been able to decipher other peoples' languages without direct contact, simply by using their telepathy. However, this was a process which took years; she had only been able to learn a single new dialect during her life. Had her psychic powers been enhanced to such a point she had learned so quickly, or had she simply spent such a long time on this world?

Neiame opened her eyes again, and noticed the woman was still there, although the wrapping and goggles had been partly removed, to reveal shoulder length ebony hair, rich purple skin, and slightly glowing silver eyes. Even standing, the woman's face still reached slightly below any of Neiame's.

After a few failed attempts, Neiame realized she could not communicate through use of her mind alone, as she once could with her own people. With much difficulty, she managed to utter a few sounds from her mouths. Having three heads didn't seem to be a problem, as each mouth uttered the same sound, in perfect unison. As this was the first time she attempted to speak since the ritual, she had simply never realized the presence of many tongues in each mouth. Intense concentration allowed her to articulate a few words.

"Sorry... Live... Here?"

The woman blinked, most likely not expecting such a strange reaction, although with the Alari's oddity, she could hardly be more surprised than she already was. She smiled softly and scratches the back of her neck, feeling the levels of awkwardness rise rather quickly.

"Err... Yeah, this is one of my camps... I don't mind company though, especially if you're trying to hide too..."

A dark blush was slightly visible on the woman's cheeks, which seemed to be enjoying the sight of the naked blue woman.

"Err... I'm Kali... Kalirindia. Pleased to meet you."

She stepped closer to Neiame, who was unsure how to react. She held four of her arms out defensively, a failed attempt at keeping the woman away. She was worried she would lose control and consume yet another living being.

However, Kalirindia simply moved past to a nearby shelf and started removing her armour and wrappings, never taking her eyes off Neiame. The Alari followed her as well, twisting her torso slightly to make sure she would not lose eye contact. She had to concentrate quite intensely to make sure not to accidentally feed on this person.

Once dressed only in casual clothing, Kalirindia walked over to a shelf and grabbed a large blanket, which she held out to Neiame, staying careful not to get too close. Neiame reached out with a pair of hands and looked at it, slightly confused. After a brief motion by her host, Neiame gasped and nodded, trying her best to wrap the blanket around herself. She had minimal success, as she only managed to cover her torso and part of her front legs, leaving the rest of her body exposed. It was better than nothing.

An awkward silence permeated the room as the two women stared at each other, neither being too sure what to do. Neiame found something eerily captivating about Kalirindia's silvery eyes. Having golden eyes herself, it was not so much the colour, but instead the soft glow emanating from them. In rare circumstances of highly focused concentration, an Alari's eyes could glow ever so slightly, but nothing as steady as this. Could this being possess psychic abilities similar to her own?

Kalirindia softly cleared her throat, reminding Neiame of the current situation. Neiame watched as the purple woman pointed to herself and muttered her name once more, only to point at the Alari, a basic prompt for Neiame to introduce herself. She hesitated, and then muttered softly in her own language.

"Vela'Alari."

She wasn't entirely sure why she had presented herself through that name. It had simply seemed more appropriate to the situation, considering what she had become as a result of the ritual, both outwardly and inwardly. She knew she was still Neiame, but she had also become much more, somewhat to her regret. She was here as a consequence of the Vela'Alari, as was the annihilation of so many worlds. She could not excuse the actions following the Vela'Alari as being anybody else's. She was its guide, and with greater control, destruction could have been prevented.

She was Neiame, but she was also Vela'Alari.

A name which proved quite complicated for Kalirindia to pronounce, as she remained in the obscurity as to its true meaning.

"Vela'alawhat?... It's... Interesting name. I think it suits you, lyrical and sweet."

The soft smile which followed left Neiame dumbfounded. She could agree that the name was somewhat poetic, a strange yet fitting name to symbolize her people's disappearance. But how could it be sweet? How could SHE be sweet? She had become a devourer of worlds, a destructive murderer driven by an unquenchable hunger.

"I should... Leave..."

Kalirindia blinked in confusion at the comment. How could this puzzle her? Could she not see the danger she was facing?

"Stay as long as you'd like! As I said, I'd love to have some company, and I've got plenty of food and water. This is just one of my many hidden camps; nobody else should find you here."

A comforting smile moved across Kalirindia's lips as she made another inspection of Neiame's body. She was quick to explain, in response to the Alari's inquisitive stares.

"It's nice to meet somebody in the same boat as I am. Maybe you've seen some people around, but if you did, you can see I'm not like them, being this tall and purple and all... That's why I hide in these caves. People don't take too kindly to my appearance. Genetic testing and manipulation, experiments... I figure it's the same for you?"

After a short moment of hesitation, Neiame's three heads nodded slowly in unison. She could sense this woman's spiritual energy was not the same as the other creatures living nearby. It was very different in fact, as if she was from a completely different species.

Kalirindia pulled up a chair next to Neiame and continued her story.

"I use these camps to travel around; I don't like staying in one place for too long. A good fifty mile radius around this place, you could say. I explore, I patrol, I gather food and supplies... Sometimes I just try and help others."

She smirked when she noticed the confusion on the three faces looking down at her.

"Yeah, I know... Why should I help people who treat me like this? I don't know, it's just... Just an urge to help, instead of doing nothing, you could say... It's why I cover up and hide what I look like. The height should give it away but... Well, I'm sure you can understand what I mean, right?"

For the first time since what felt like forever, Neiame blushed on her cheeks, and laughed softly. The woman was right, she would have quite a hard time mixing in with her current appearance. She wasn't sure what it was, but something about this stranger allowed her to feel comfortable.

"...It helps that you're pretty, too."

In any normal situation, Neiame would have remained confused, wondering just what was going on with this person, to call a monstrosity like her "pretty". At that time, however, she needed the change of pace. It felt like much too long since she felt at ease. So she rolled her eyes and smiled, shaking her three heads gently. She glanced downward in an exaggerated way, a not-so-subtle question as to whether or not it was her three pairs of massive breasts which gave Kalirindia this strange idea.

Kalirindia laughed in response and shook her head.

"Don't worry, no! They ARE impressive, but that's not it. There's just something about you, I can't quite place it...."

After another short moment spent contemplating Neiame's body, Kalirindia smiled and continued what she was saying.

"All around us, it's very dead and barren, I'm sure you noticed... There was a big war, lots of bombs, lots of burning... Only a few cities and underground bases survived. I was born in one shortly after it all happened. There were a lot of people dying, some mutating..."

She glanced upwards to make sure Neiame would not get the wrong impression.

"Don't get me wrong, there's some mutants with extra arms, but not as much as... They're not as sleek or sane!"

Neiame tilted her heads slightly at this comment. The concept of sanity within her mind was a fleeting one. At the slightest loss of control, it could fade, leaving no trace of this woman's world and her misguided notion of sanity or beauty. Nonetheless, smiles crept on her faces, as the compliments bolstered what little optimism she still had.

"I guess you could say I'm the result of a controlled mutation, myself. People often call me an elf, it's better than being called a mutant!

What about you? Are you the same? You don't look like you're from around here, Vela'ala!"

Neiame opened her mouths to correct the elf's mispronunciation of her name, but decided to let it slide, as her attempt would likely fail.

"Uhh... I was... Alari, but gone now... Vela'Alari, then..."

She sighed softly at her inability to communicate. While understanding was a simple concept, she needed to adapt herself to her new body, as well as learn more about the language itself.

"Alone... I'm killer... Scared... Sad..."

Kalirindia nodded slowly. She seemed to understand what Neiame was trying to say, if only in part. She climbed on top of her chair, and as a strange leap of faith, she walked onto one of Vela's front thighs. Careful not to fall, she proceeded to reach Neiame's torso, and wrapped her arms around the nearest neck.

Neiame had no idea what to make of this. The elf was giving her a hug, despite her size and appearance. They had just met each other, and yet, Kalirindia trusted Neiame enough to approach her and try to reassure her.

The eighteen golden eyes slowly closed themselves, followed by three gentle smiles. Very carefully, Neiame wrapped the five arms on the side Kalirindia was standing, returning the hug while making sure not to crush the smaller woman with her physical strength.

There was no need to possess advanced psychic powers to know what the elf was feeling at this moment. Neiame felt she could trust her. She concentrated and determined the right words to say.

"I Neiame, not Vela'Alari. That mean Light of Alari.

Is dark now."