Chapter: 527 – Primacies

Tala waited to see what would be said about Lisa, covering the smile that came unbidden to her lips with another drink of her laced coffee.

Noc had literally barked a laugh at her request, covering his mouth and chuckling for a moment or two afterward. “Forgive my outburst, but that was unexpected. Did you truly come simply to ask us about… Lisa?”

Tala shrugged, noticing the pause before Lisa’s name, which gave her an idea. “Among other things, yes. You don’t follow the House convention of addressing people by title or advancement, why is that?”

Noc grinned, motioning toward Blan who gave him a glass mug, containing a drink that was an active swirl between black and sparkling green liquids that seemed unable to truly mix. “I’ll not pry as to how you know the custom of the House lands, but I am curious what you would guess our reason is.”

She shrugged again, enjoying a bit more of her own beverage. “Even among the Houses, it’s basically just an ego stroking custom.”

Noc hitched, almost choking on his drink, his mirth apparent. He kept it together, however, and swallowed before raising an eyebrow. “Care to explain?”

She grinned. “Most people of power keep themselves veiled, so what those who matter display is hardly ever the proper advancement they hold. For those it is the proper advancement of, most of those have a false sense of pride, being addressed by the same honorific as those who are really far above them. As to the titles? Those are simply that. I see the utility as most titles hold real importance regardless of the advancement of the individual who holds them. I would assume that the titles you hold would be self-granted, and not very informative to me or other outsiders. Your advancement is expertly hidden—just as Lisa’s is, even when he shows some aura that seems to match one advancement or other—and thus, it would be counter-productive to use such as an honorific, or it would be a means of slighting you. To do so, the one addressing you would be pointing out that they’ve seen through your veil and other defenses.” Tala’s smile grew, and she gave a third shrug. “But that’s just my guess.”

Noc took up his glass again and downed nearly a third of it in one go. As the vessel clunked down on the hard-wood counter, the fox gave another vulpine grin. “I can see why Lisa likes you. You’re… interesting, especially for one so young. I expect we will hear much of you in the coming centuries, or a great deal about you for the next decade or so before your passing.”

Tala grunted a laugh and took a deep pull of her drink. This really is enjoyable.

-Should we see if we can acquire some of the toxin?-

That is an excellent idea.

-I exist to think. I hope that the quality of my ideas reflect that reality.-

They… do? Tala put a purposeful hesitancy on the ‘admission.’

-You’re a jerk sometimes.-

Love you, Alat.

-Love thyself first, Tala.- Her voice had a sparkle of humor in it, matching the tone of their quick exchange.

Exactly. Love you a lot, Alat.

Alat just sent back a feeling of mirth, allowing Tala to return her attention to Noc as she set her own mug down. “Thank you for the assessment, I suppose. Now, about the good Lisa?”

Noc sighed, turning his head in a way that caused it to become a simple fur-covered sphere atop his neck.

Tala’s threefold sight revealed that beneath the shown fur was skin, bone, part of a brain, and all the other things required therein. It even showed that his head extended off in a fourth dimension. Though, she couldn’t actually parse how it worked or what it actually looked like.

That, however, clued her into something that she had perceived from the beginning. Noc had more to him in the fourth dimension than any of the other fox-kin. She’d thought what she sensed was other layers of this construct—and undoubtedly most of it was—but some was ‘other’ dimensionality of Noc.

Her heartbeat quickened even as muscles flexed and Noc’s head returned to a normal appearance to her mundane sight.

“Lisa is watching and listening even now, so I won’t say much.” The fox-kin chuckled, and it had a dark undertone. “First though, I will say that I like your theory. I will give a single correction, but it is to what you said afterward. I do have a title which was given by others, even if it likely won’t have meaning to you, just as you suspected. I am a Primacy of the Fox-kin. Therefore, my proper address would be Primacy Noc Lek Marac.” His teeth showed, and there were far, far too many of them as dozens of sets intruded from surrounding dimensionality. A weight of authority swirled around him that didn’t match Anatalis in magnitude, but did have a different sort of power behind it, a different flavor. Then, his lips covered his fangs once more, and he gave a slight smile. “But you may address me as Primacy Noc if you’re feeling formal, or simply Noc at any other time. You aren’t one of my kits, after all.”

Tala noticed then that Blan and the others in the space had dropped to their knees to bow under the exposed authority. The harpist had both arms extended, forehead pressed to the floor.

After a moment, the customers returned to their seats, shaking slightly, and the musician retook her seat, taking a moment or two to breathe and calm herself before starting to strum once again.

Blan stood behind the counter, eyes downcast. Primacy Noc frowned then. “My apologies, Blan. I’ve given your customers a fright. Please refresh their drinks on the house.”

Blan bowed and left to do so without saying a word.

Primacy Noc turned his attention back to Tala. “I will say only that Lisa is one of our kin to cause… strong feelings. He has advocated the integrating into your cycling human cities, and many have followed his lead in one form or another.” Primacy Noc chuckled. “That is the purpose of a Primacy, after all, to lead our kind by example.”

Tala found herself nodding. “Your power isn’t combat focused, is it? Though, I imagine that you can use it thus, in a pinch.”

Noc nodded, head flickering away for a moment before returning with a half grin in place. “This is true. We are not meant to be titans of bloodshed. Now, Primacy Lisa is already annoyed with me, and we don’t need a spat of dens in this age. What else brings you to my domain?”

She considered, then gave a slow nod. “Primacy Lisa has informed me that some of his kin will be joining us sooner rather than later. I wished to meet some of you besides him before that occurred.”

A merry light danced behind Primacy Noc’s eyes. “Blan, what was the name of the human in the missive?”

Blan shrugged, then pulled out a piece of paper, reading it over. “There’s no name mentioned. It simply says that Primacy Lisa…” Blan cleared her throat. “And others testify to the validity of an offer of haven and citizenship within Irondale.”

Primacy Noc looked Tala’s way, a shadow of a smile tugging at his lips. “A traveling hold called Ironhold just linked up with Astraya yesterday. I see that our mutual acquaintance is with that hold, but I cannot see anything specific.” He paused, but when she said nothing he decided to prompt her, “Do you know if there is any relation?”

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Tala nodded, finally smiling. “Irondale is the primary town within Ironhold. The gates open into Irondale directly, and the rest of the hold is only accessible by passing through that town.”

“And what is that hold to you?” He leaned a little closer, awaiting the answer, though he seemingly already knew the answer.

Her smile blossomed into a grin then, letting her teeth show in an expression that was purposely predatory. “That is my hold, befriended, bound, and defended. That is my domain, Primacy Noc.”

Blan had stepped back once again, her eyes flicking to the laced drink beside Tala, seemingly horrified by her earlier actions. But that might have been Tala reading too much into things.

Primacy Noc, for his part, burst out laughing, clearly delighted. “Wonderful! It is good that you have announced this openly. Welcome, welcome, Den Mother Tala.”

Tala grimaced, and the fox-kin noticed.

“My apologies. It is the title for a female in charge of a complex such as this.” He gestured around. “I am technically a Den Father, but my Primacy…” He grinned widely. “has primacy.”

That got a chuckle from Tala, lowering her guard just a bit. It was time to posture a bit—as well as return the courtesy of deeper, truer names—and she readied her will, her authority, before she spoke. “As you have shown me some of your true nature, let me return the favor and reveal some of mine. I am Maternal Iron.”

As she uttered the final two words, she felt her soul resonate. More than that, she felt every bit and fleck of iron in her current layer of existence resonate along with her. Even that within the bodies of the fox-kin resonated, asking if she wanted to claim it.

She doubted that she could if she were being honest, but it was still an intoxicating sensation. Regardless, she continued, infusing her speech with intent, power and authority once again, “If you wish to be on less than friendly terms, you may think of me as the Ravenous Jealous Devourer.”

Again, the iron around her resonated, this time in a manner that was almost a petition for carnage. But, unlike before, more than just the iron resonated with her soul. The very dimensionality of this slice of existence shuddered as Kit—a massive presence hovering just stoneward of the fox-kin complex—resonated with her.

Primacy Noc had not retreated, nor blanched as Blan had.

Still, he was obviously braced against her expressions of authority, his own was woven outward into and through this complex, his domain, holding it fast like a man might cling to his wife in the face of potential invaders.

Tala smiled. “But it is unfair for me to force you to choose. Therefore, I will accept Iron Matriarch.”