The Naming
A couple of days later Bailey was dozing on the couch. It was about mid-morning and after a bad night of sleep, Bailey was exhausted.
She was woken from her nap by something patting her cheek gently with little paws. Bailey snorted and blinked awake, she moved slightly and found the Steefling sitting on the couch, level with her stomach. Seeing her awake the baby giggled and patted her cheek again.
“An’ whadda you want?” Bailey asked through a yawn.
“Baba.” she sat up, eyes wide,
“Wh-what did you say?” she asked slowly, the Steefling gurgled and giggled and bounced up and down;
“Baba! Baba!” Bailey frowned slightly,
“Baba?” she muttered, “Baba…Baba…Ba-” the Steefling chuckled and wagged a hand gently at Bailey,
“Baba!”
“Ba-” Bailey’s eyes went wider, “Baba!? Are you tryin’ to say my name!?”
“Baba! Baba!” the baby laughed,
“Bai-ley.” Bailey said, slowly sounding the word, “Bai-ley.”
“Ba, Ba,” the little Steefling was trying to force the word out, “Ba…Bailey!” Bailey threw up her hands,
“HA HA!” she yelled, “You said my name! Say it again!”
“Bailey.” The Steefling giggled. Bailey whooped and tumbled off the couch. She scrambled up,
“C’mon, we gotta show yer Mam and Dad.” She picked up the Steefling and hurtled out of the lounge into the kitchen, “She talked!” Bailey yelped as soon as she’d burst through the door. “She talked!” Stranger, Alika, Haigar and Daimen were all sitting at the table and they looked up quickly with wide-eyed, surprised expressions.
Bailey hefted the Steefling up a bit,
“Go on,” she encouraged, “What’s my name kiddo?”
“Bailey! Bailey!” giggled the Steefling, bouncing in Bailey’s arms, “Bailey!” Bailey grinned.
“I’m her first word!” Bailey gushed. She turned to the Steefling, “Can you say Mamma? Mam-ma?” she pointed at Alika, “Mam-ma?”
“Mam- Mam- Mamma.” The Steefling chuckled,
“And Dada, Dad-da?” she said pointing to Daimen,
“Dada!”
“What about, Haigar, Hai-gar.” And Bailey pointed to Haigar, the Steefling frowned,
“’Aiga?” Bailey chuckled,
“Close enough, what about Stranger? Strain-jer.”
“Stainjer?”
“Maybe that one’s a bit hard.” Bailey said musingly. She looked up to find Alika and Daimen beside her. Both of them were smiling.
“Can I take her.” Alika asked, Bailey nodded mutely and handed the baby to it’s mother.
“What’s, what’s gonna happen now?” she asked hesitantly,
“It’s time to take her to the Steef Seer.” Alika smiled. “She’s old enough to receive her name.”
¤§¤
Bailey sat on the couch in the front room of the Steef home and tugged at the neck on her green Grubb shirt, feeling somewhat underdressed in shirt, trousers and sneakers - she'd refrained from her hat and bandana - and she was beginning to feel vaguely uncomfortable with it all. From the way Alika, Daimen and Haigar were acting, this 'Naming' was something important and she felt a bit uneasy with not knowing about Steef culture and their customs to realise the importance.
Stranger looked just as uncomfortable as Bailey did as he tugged at the throat of the robe he was now wearing, also feeling edgy. It was a long, red robe, worn open, made of velvet-like material with a high, wide collar and long sleeves that reached past his hands. The velvet scratching and irritating at his neck.
Neither of them knew what to expect and there was a mutual feeling of being out of their depth. As a result Bailey stuck close to Stranger. Stranger looked down at Bailey and felt her unease. He smiled slightly, trying to hide his own awkwardness.
“Feelin’ nervous kid?” Bailey nodded,
“Bit, I dunno really what’s goin’ on…”
“You an’ me both kiddo.” Stranger reassured, there was a silence before Bailey voiced a question;
“Whose this Steef Seer?” Bailey whispered after a while, “Is he like the Grubb one?” Stranger shrugged uneasily,
“I dunno, but I know he ain’t the tribe’s leader, we haven’t met him yet, but I bets it’s only matter of time…” the aspect didn’t exactly fill Bailey with confidence, it only served to make her more nervous then she already was. Just then Haigar came into the front room,
“Uncle Stranger, Bailey, c’mon, we’re leavin’.” Stranger and Bailey glanced at each other with frowns of confusion.
“Leavin’?” Bailey asked,
“The Seer’s summoned us.” explained Haigar, Bailey blinked, her confusion hadn’t been cleared by Haigar’s not-much-by-way-of-an-explanation statement. But she got up regardless and she and Stranger followed Haigar from the front room to where Alika, Daimen and a very excited Steefling were waiting,
“Baba!” gurgled the Steefling happily when she saw Bailey, even though she could say ‘Bailey’ she always called the human ‘Baba’, Bailey grinned.
Daimen led his family out of the Steef home and into one of the twisting passages that formed the maze of the Steef warren.
¤§¤
Eventually they came to a halt, in front of them was a huge curtain, made from a finely woven tapestry with glittering thread and bead-work, it was very old but well looked after and Bailey peeped around Stranger, looking at it in awe.
The curtain was drawn back and a young male Steef, not much older then Haigar was revealed,
“He’ll see you now.” The young Steef said meekly and held the curtain open for the little Steef family to enter. Bailey held back momentarily, was she expected to come too? She was a human after all. But Stranger, right behind Bailey, gave her a little nudge and Bailey went through the curtain. The Seer’s aide led them along a dark tunnel, only lit by faintly green-blue glowing, emanating from slivers of green-blue iridescent rock in the walls.
After a few minutes they came out into a warmly lit chamber and Bailey was instantly hit with a bout of déj* vu, it was almost identical to the Grubb Seer’s home, with the sort of furniture Bailey was used to seeing in old country manor houses and there was a thick, warm rug on the floor. It even had the dreamcatcher-esque mobiles of hide and bead hanging from the ceiling and the stuffed animals with their glass eyes gleaming in the light from the fire in a grate on one wall. Even the smell of the herbs was familiar.
The Steef Seer was sitting on what Bailey saw as a giant beanbag and he was wearing something that wouldn’t look out of place with the Native American Indians. He even had a couple of blue and green feathers hanging from his masses of white hair. It was then that Bailey realised something that surprised her. The Steef Seer was entirely white.
She’d never seen a white Steef before.
The Seer looked up at them and Bailey experienced another shock. The Steef’s eyes were also completely white. He was blind. It didn’t seem to hamper him though and his other senses must have sharpened because as soon as they entered he looked up and smiled.
But then the smile faded and his expression became thoughtful,
“I was told that I would be naming a Steefling today.” He said in a dry, cracked voice that was nevertheless pleasant on the ears, “Yet I see three here who are unnamed, and only one is a Steefling…” The Steef squinted, as if trying to make something out, “And if I am not gravely mistaken, one of them doesn’t seem to be a Steef at all,” there was a pause, “A
human.” The Seer said with a look of surprise, curiosity and a hint of a smile. “Well I never thought I’d live long enough to see one of your kind again little miss. But onto the real reason we’re all here today,” the Steef rubbed his hands and then held them out, “The Steefling is you would Mother.” He said to Alika, Alika put the baby in his arms and the blind Steef tickled the Steefling under the chin. The little baby giggled and tugged at one of his feathers.
Alika, Daimen and Haigar all sat, Bailey and Stranger following suit, still at a complete loss on what was happening.
The Seer went very still and for a horrible moment Bailey thought he’d died or something, but then she noticed the slight rise and fall of his breathing and realised he’d gone into a trance. Bailey sat cross-legged, one elbow on her knee and rested her chin on her hand, watching the Seer and Steefling quietly.
Even the baby seemed to know that something serious was happening and she remained quiet and watchful.
Time seemed to stand still. The scent of herbs permeated the air and the warm made Bailey drowsy but she stubbornly remained awake.
Time passed, Bailey didn’t know how long but it didn’t matter, she wasn’t bored, on the contrary, she was on fire with interest. Then, without any previous signal, the Seer picked up his bowed head and took a deep breath. Immediately the silence and stillness ended and Bailey stirred. The old Steef gave the Steefling back to Alika,
“Her name is Loki.” He said smiling, Alika returned the smile and bowed,
“Thank-you Seer.” She whispered,
“You’re welcome my dear, I foresee great things in store for your little one. And look to Jelani’s daughter to protect her.” He added cryptically. Alika’s expression was one of confusion but she nodded.
“I will Seer.” She said. Alika rose and was followed by Daimen, Haigar. Bailey made to follow but she as got up, a hand closed on her arm. She looked round and was faced with the white furred, white eyed Steef.
“Talk with me.” He said, Bailey blinked and glanced over at the other Steef, they stood at the entrance of the chamber with looks of surprise and innocent curiosity.
“O…ok…” she said hesitantly. Stranger lingered, watching the Seer and Bailey with the intent eyes of a parent looking out for his kid. But he nodded and left after Daimen, Haigar and Alika.
Bailey looked back to the old Steef and allowed him to lead her back towards the beanbag. He lout go on her arm and sat down, Bailey stood about awkwardly for a moment,
“Sit, sit, make yourself comfortable.” Said the Steef Seer. Bailey did as she was told and sat down. “So you are the human.” He said at length, Bailey nodded, but remembering he couldn’t see, answered,
“Yeah, I’m the human.”
“You sound like you’ve said that a lot lately.” He chuckled, Bailey cracked a smile,
“Yeah…I guess I have, I’m a bit of a novelty around here.” She admitted, there was a silence until the Steef spoke again,
“And you have been learning our ways?” he asked, but he sounded like he knew the answer,
“Yes, I don’t understand all of it, but I’m learning.” The Seer nodded,
“Good, that’s very good. You are at home here?”
“Yes. More then anywhere else I’ve been.”
“You have been to many places.” Bailey grinned,
“That doesn’t sound like a question.” The Seer nodded, also smiling,
“No, it isn’t, I have been told a lot about you.
They have told me more then you guess I think. More then you even know.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me.” Bailey said, The Seer looked thoughtful,
“You are an accepting child Bailey. More then others of your kind have been.” Bailey stared,
“How d’you know my name?” the Seer smiled, and Bailey caught on,
“Oooh, so they told you that too, these,” she pause searching for a word but failed to find one, “These, whoever they are that you talk too.” The Seer nodded, not at all offended by Bailey’s words. He nodded,
“They see the past, present and the future.”
“That’s how they know a Steefling’s name?” The Seer nodded,
“Yes.” Bailey paused a fraction of a second before asking the question that had intrigued her as soon as she had heard the Seer Steef speak.
“How is it, that you could tell, yer know, ‘bout me and Stranger, and that I was human? When you’re…” she faded off, the Seer leaned back and smiled enigmatically.
“You mean when I’m blind?” he asked, Bailey made a sound of embarrassment that affirmed the question. “Blindness is not always a disability Bailey.” The Steef said, “I may not be able to see the world as you do, and I mourn the loss, but instead I can see wonders that you will never get to see. But as to your question; everyone has an aura, and I can see that aura. I tells me about a person, what sort of person they are…whether good or evil…” the Seer sighed, “Unfortunately it was too late when I saw the aura of the first humans to come to Oddworld, it was dark and disturbed, their aura was a boiling chaos with no peace.” The Seer sighed sadly and there was a depressive silence, but then the Steef brightened and looked at Bailey again; “Yours is calm and centred, you know who you are and are proud of that. I see no evil in you, you would not harm another willingly and you’re truthful, there is no deception in you.”
“And Stranger-?” The Seer sighed,
“Stranger has a long way to go, though his aura has no evil or dishonour, he is still in turmoil and his aura shows this, it swirls with no proper course and he is lost, he does not know himself…” The Steef paused, “But I see the beginnings of the journey to find himself, he has started to discover who he really is. You are helping him with that. He is at ease when he is with you, he is himself.” Bailey watched the old Steef.
“If I can help,” she said finally, “I will.” The Seer nodded, looking relieved.
“Good,” he said in a low voice, “That’s very good.”
)
Oddworld Just Got Stranger
good chapters there Lobo
anyway looking forward to read more
anyway still looking forward to read more
Poor Bailey and Stranger...It's a good thing they'll be better. But Bailey gambling her life with the Reaper? Iiee...
I loved the part when Stranger just flately said, "Yer grounded," Ahh, that made me crack up. And, IT'S 'BOUT BLOODY TIME YER POST I 'ERE! I should ground you! Joking. Well, nice ter see some of yer fic in 'ere, Lobo. I was beginnin' ter worry 'bout that. And, if yer read in me thread, blah, blah, blah...Yer get the idea 'bout my situation, I bet. And I sincerally apologize ter you. I hate's it when me mom don't point out the other small details in 'er explanaitions. Well'p best be gettin' off from 'ere, Lobo. I'll see yer whenever the grass gets greener...
