Kalayaan's Voice

RP blog for the character Kalayaan from Salathiel Silva's Tales Of The Ba'tala series. Blog content written by Kalayaan's creator and Ba'tala creative consultant, C.A. MacLean, and unless specified, all interactions should be considered "in-character".

[kalayaan1647]

“Given that the mostly-blind Ba’yaani of Wind just pushed me across the courtyard while practicing his powers, it could have gone worse...”

(OOC: Another one from Gui, this one an adorable image of when Kalayaan and Kogaa first met. Offscreen: Kitoah, apparently having no problem moving people with his wind powers. Like I mentioned to him, I’m not 100% sure from the way the storyboard is worded if she got pushed like this, or if she collided with our Captain Of The Guard here with the gale force of a bowling ball smashing through pins, but either way, this is super-adorable. Be sure to fullscreen it for their expressions. Aww. Again, thanks, dude!)

[kalayaan1647]

“Thing is, after you spend long enough in darkness, you start flinching away from the light when it streams in. I didn’t know what to make of this Cat. I could tell she didn’t mean me harm, but...someone like me has to keep wary.”

(OOC: This actually warrants a little explanation. At some point in the first quarter of last year, I wrote up a short story detailing Kalayaan’s first day at Shokah Palace. Since in the plot structure of Immy’s series, the first little bit after they arrive focuses entirely on Madahon, which gave me leave to do whatever I pleased, within reason, in this “first day” story. It starts out with her in a small holding cell (since she arrived with the Grand King rather than being ‘normally’ bought), waiting to be processed, and Ki’a coming to collect her for proper processing once she has time, which would mean that this is their first meeting.

Part of the reason I wrote it is because I was on a massive Ba’tala kick and it was rather difficult to reach Immy at the time because of personal reasons on her end that I’m sure she’d rather I didn’t disclose. Long story short, there was a thing and it wasn’t a good thing, but the thing went away in time. Anyhow, I’m not sure she’s read the story yet, because I sent it to her last Spring and it was during the aforementioned bad thing where she had next to no free time, so I haven’t had a chance to have the various tinkering I did with certain aspects of Palace life canonized or rejected, right just yet.

That whole explanation is supposed to funnel you to the disclaimer that what you see here is of questionable canonicity. But again, it’s another one by Gui, with whom I shared aspects of the short story, but not the story itself for the reasons above, when he asked about certain relevant aspects. Again, thanks a lot, dude!)

[kalayaan1647]

“The stranger sheltered us. I couldn’t stop shivering, so he gave me his shawl...it took a long time for me to feel anything but cold. I have no doubt that we would have never survived the blizzard, otherwise.”

(OOC: I kept forgetting, but now I’m finally posting this new piece from Gui. Thanks a bunch! And Kalayaan wishes you all a merry Christmas and hopes you’re all staying warm.)

[kalayaan1647]

“It was...so, so cold. My muscles burned, every breath felt like jagged ice, and then he came out of the blizzard...”

(OOC: Another by Gui, this one of a scene from early in the first Ba’tala novel. Followers of this series know who the draped stranger is, but the slaves have yet to find out...

Again, thanks a bunch!)

[kalayaan1647]

A meta-post for the season.

OOC: This time of year, I always get thinking about Halloween. I mean, it’s the one time of year where we’re outright encouraged to think about the grim and macabre and it brings out the creativity in us. Especially this year, since I currently work in a Halloween boutique, as I’ve been chronicling on my main Tumblr.

Sometimes I’ll get thinking about a Ba’tala-themed horror story and how that might go. It’s not such a new idea; a whole decade ago, Immy and I brainstormed a classic-style ghost story set in Shokah Palace. More recently, a couple years ago we brainstormed a zombie outbreak in the Ba’tala universe, because this is us we’re talking about. Needless to say, it got insane and extreme and gruesome as all hell.

So my question is, what kinds of horror story do you think would be interesting if set in the Ba’tala universe? Don’t feel constrained by canon, go wild! I love horror all year round, and a number of things in the Ba’tala universe were actually inspired by horror to begin with. A major element of one of the primary villains in the series was actually inspired by Immy watching a certain scene from A Nightmare On Elm Street 3, for example. And, yes, considering what blog we’re on, I understand that Kalayaan’s backstory (and that of a bunch of other characters in the series) can be considered a graphic, harrowing “horror story” to any sane person, but I’m more talking about the classic horror tropes: slashers? Ghosts? Surrealist horror a la Silent Hill? Something else? Not sure how you’d do found-footage horror in a world not technologically advanced enough for recording devices, but anyway, there are just so many options it’s delightful.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What do you think?

[kalayaan1647]

Would you say your relationship with Kogaa has made life in the palace better and more bearable?

“Oh, of that there is no doubt. When he is able, he supports me in my times of need, and I hope that I am able to do the same when he feels beleaguered. This is a sullen, cold place at the edge of the world, the dark star at the end of the traveler’s way, but we survive by our own hardiness and by clinging to those who will have us. I know that Madahon wants to help me in any way he can, but...he is burdened as well. He might not face the whip and the chain, but his mind is weighed by things that most folk could never want to fathom. When I leave his chambers after I am done tending to him, and being a listening ear for what ails him when I myself need a warm touch and a close friend, I sometimes feel...empty. Unfulfilled. I know this breaks his heart, and I hate the idea of distance being wedged between us, but...I don’t know how to fix it, right now.

“But Kogaa? When we’re together and I can look into his eyes, I see only adoration, and wonderment, and warmth...there is no judgment there, not even any patronizing pity for what I’ve been through. We’ve both suffered, and we both need each other.”

[kalayaan1647]

Indeed I do understand...I probably worded that question poorly, and I apologize if I came off as insensitive. I can understand that you wouldn't be forming any close bonds with free people in the Palace for that very reason, no matter how kind they may be towards you, but what I really wanted to know was if you had a close friendly rapport with anyone at all that might make your current situation any easier. It must be hard to feel isolated even from your fellow Bundok slaves at times. :|

“Oh, no, it’s okay! You’re okay. There are indeed those who make me feel better from day to day. Either they greet me in the halls with a friendly look, or they go out of their way to speak to me. When first coming here, I used to be fearful of the guards, for reasons that should be obvious, but some of them other than Kogaa have treated me nicer than I ever could have expected. Madahon considers me one of the closest people in his life, although being the Song, there’s so much on his mind that sometimes it can feel difficult to break through the wall and get through to him. Kitoah has also taken a liking to me. He, much like Kogaa, is kind in his soul.”

[kalayaan1647]

Have you made any good friends in the palace since you got there, be they fellow slaves or otherwise?

Kalayaan has to think for a minute. She eventually says, “The other slaves and I have a shared suffering. In that way, we are alike from the moment we meet. But...there exists a racial divide that, in one way, has kept some of the others from truly getting close to me. You see, Taong Bundok, my people, have a history of racial animosity with the Taong Gubat, Madahon’s people. So the fact that I serve him, and that I refuse to tell them things such as his weaknesses or ways in which they can do him serious harm, can cause...friction.

“As for those who are free in the Palace, well...it takes more than you might think to break through the invisible barrier that separates master and slave. I do not know that isolated moments of kindness may be considered true friendship...you understand, yes?”

[kalayaan1647]

(OOC: Here’s another cute, innocent AU kind of pic from Gui, showing them both warmer and happier than they’ll generally be in the first Ba’tala book.)

[kalayaan1647]

Also, how well do you know Lady Ki'a?

“Lady Ki’a is a good person. This is the sense I got from her the very first time I met her, and it remains so. She is not cruel, and I have seen her do acts of kindness many times, for both myself and others. While we are not extremely close, we get on well.”

(OOC: Short-ish answer, just because this is one of those things that may still be in flux. In the future as the story is being written, Immy or myself might think of, for example, a plot event that either makes Kalayaan and Ki’a better friends or drives them apart, for all we know.)

[kalayaan1647]

How did you and Madahon end up in the blizzard that led you to the Grand King and the Palace in the first place? Did the two of you escape from your last place of enslavement?

“Shortly after he and I met, Madahon and I were set to work in a mine, where we had to dig for resources while our masters, a group of Tuataras, prepared for war with a group of Rats.” Her cheek twitches slightly as she talks. Just thinking about the mine reminds her of the poor air down there, and the slaves coughing violently from the lack of protection they were given. “Madahon wished to stay and dissuade the Tuataras from war, while I and some other slaves planned our escape, using the oncoming battle as a diversion.”

Kalayaan is unable to meet your gaze for a moment. She turns her head down and says, “I was...a bit different back then. Before the Tuataras, I had just escaped from a master who was...” Her mouth feels dry and her eyes dart to the left and right. “...He was cruel. Very...cruel. A-And I intended to just...keep running. I wanted Madahon to come with us, not stay and help. And when the time came, and the battle began...I ran.”

Kalayaan looks miserable as she confesses it. She holds one arm with the other hand, scratching her elbow. “We ran through the snow, leaving him behind, but...I started to get this throbbing at the back of my mind. He was my new friend, and I had just...I had just abandoned him there! The other slaves whom I was running with told me that he was as good as lost, to leave him. But guilt was eating at me from every side...I knew I wasn’t going to be able to live with myself. I knew that by going back for him, I was giving up my chance at escape, but...there was nothing left of my old life, anyway. I went back, and I found him, and I picked him up in my arms, and...by then the blizzard had worsened...”

[kalayaan1647]

I take it you came to like Kogaa a lot once you got to know him? ^^ What's your impression of him?

Kalayaan turns her eyes to the ceiling, as though lost in her own world. A small smile comes to her face. “He strikes me as...noble. Not in the sense of being high-born or anything like that, but...I cannot imagine him turning his back on those in need. He...believes in honour as a concept, I think, and this is a world where sometimes it feels like there is not enough of it.”

[kalayaan1647]

Is your work in the caravan any easier or harder than your palace duties?

Kalayaan takes a moment to think, a finger at her chin. “Um...I suppose it depends on the day. In the caravan, I need to cook and serve their meals, do their laundry and make sure the caravan is constantly in good shape, which usually means I am the first to rise in the morning and the last to bed down at night. But those who travel in the caravan tend to treat me well, whereas in the Palace there’s always a chance I’ll run into someone who...doesn’t.”

She continues, “At the end of the day, the volume of work is similar between them...but in the caravan, I get to see places new to me that I never would have found otherwise. For that reason, I prefer it out there. I want to be able to contribute to something that actually makes a difference in this world...I can better do that as part of the caravan.”

[kalayaan1647]

Do you happen to know the Grand King personally, and have an idea of what he's like underneath his crown?

Kalayaan’s expression twists into one of deep thought as she figures out the best way in which to phrase her answer. “The Grand King. Well, even though he is my legal master, I don’t know him all too well. I have been in direct contact with him on numerous occasions, of course, and...on that night I was carrying Madahon through the blizzard, he was the one who found us and...” She casts her eyes down. “If not for him, I might be dead, as would the Song. But no, I don’t know him incredibly well, yet. To be honest, I definitely know him better than he knows me, because Madahon, he...” She smiles a little. “He tends to vent his frustrations to me and asks for my counsel, and the Grand King often comes up in these conversations.”

She continues, “When I am in the physical presence of the Grand King, I can be...reserved. It’s not his fault, just...experiences with former masters have given me a certain...wariness. But he has much on his mind, and...he is not mean, nor cruel. In fact, he actually more-or-less approves of mine and Kogaa’s relationship. For all I know, he might actually know more about me than I’m aware.”

[kalayaan1647]

If it's not too personal a question, how did you and Kogaa meet? ^^

Kalayaan perks up, a smile emerging. Her posture loosens as well. It’s clearly a question she’s comfortable answering. “Well, when I first arrived at the Palace, we would pass each other in the halls from time to time, as was to be expected. But in that first while, I just saw him as another guard...one who I’d best not bother. Back then, I didn’t speak to the guards unless absolutely necessary: it was not my place to be heard. And I was still feeling out which of the guards were kind souls, and which ones might beat me or spit on and humiliate me for trying to speak up.”

She continues, “If I’m remembering correctly...the first time I really saw him up-close was when, um...alright, to back up a second, my Master’s Palace plays host to a number of Ba’yaani, champions of the Gods imbued with elemental powers. Short story made shorter, the Wind Ba’yaani was practicing his powers and accidentally blew me onto Kogaa.” She giggles a little, despite herself. Her eyes dart to the left briefly. There’s more about that day that she seems to be keeping to herself, but it’s not strictly relevant to the question at hand.

“It was a while later yet, weeks and months, until anything else happened. It felt like longer...much happened. Very much.” Her ears turn down and her tail becomes limp and lifeless. Clearly, she’s recalling bad memories. “But...when a troupe of people leaves the Grand King’s Palace to go to the city below, a slave is selected to go with them and serve them on their errands. I was selected to accompany a troupe to the city that included Kogaa, and...we got to know each other a lot better that day. I, um...I think that was the moment I really got to know Kogaa, beyond his place as a guard.” Her smile returns.

[kalayaan1647]

(OOC: Here's some more fanart by GuiMontag. Thanks a whole lot! Unless my memory is on the fritz, last night is the first time I saw these, except for the one in the middle, which Immy showed to me a quite while ago. Incidentally, I love the visual symmetry of that one.)

[kalayaan1647]

Gui here again: You're very welcome, and thanks again for posting it! And Kalayaan, since you used to be a dancer I figured you'd be dancing in circles around Kogaa. :D I'm glad you got to use your dancing skills again after so long! It's wonderful that the two of you had a great time together.^^

“Oh, well, I wouldn’t over-sell my dancing nowadays, given it’s been a long time and I’m out of practice, but...nothing like a bit of rhythm!” And then, she quickly mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like, “And Kogaa’s really cute when he tries to keep up.”