When she was stopped by his sister, Ashlynn had not been very far away from Aku'ly-de's quarters. Regardless of that fact, Dafena had insisted on escorting her back to them. Not only did she look stern and fearsome, but she had also maintained a firm grip on her arm. She had ordered the human to remain in his room, she did not want her to leave them for anything.

Not only did Dafena want her to ignore her brother all together, but she also advised Ashlynn to go to sleep before he came back. She didn't explain that reasoning, but Ashlynn suspected that Aku'ly-de would question how their 'chat' had been. Inwardly, she was still upset that he had even told Dafena. Then again, why wouldn't he?

Despite her annoyance, Ashlynn agreed to comply with the Yautja female. She still felt compelled to break her silence, but she decided it wasn't a good idea. She had already taken a small beating, she didn't want to anger Dafena any more than she already had. She also accepted that his sister was the only one on the ship that Aku'ly-de could confide in. She had no choice but to accept that, she couldn't be mad about it.

She had been ignoring him, and that left him with only his sister. He couldn't talk about relationships with anyone else for fear of being ridiculed for it.

Dafena left without much chit chat, reminding Ashlynn that she had better things to do then 'bother' herself with her brother's problems. She knew that meant the yautja did not want to bother with a human. Still she left with a promise to come back in the next day cycle to help. Ashlynn was dumbstruck by her contradiction, but she decided not to question it.

She made no mistake in assuming that Dafena's actions were rooted in thoughtfulness. The Yautja made sure Ashlynn knew that the only reason she was siding with her was because she was important to her brother. She had made it clear, she wanted her brother to give up his ooman or give in to her. In some way she must have felt that his mate was holding him back.

Despite being littermates, she wasn't that close with Aku'ly-de. That knowledge made Ashlynn suspect that Dafena had another agenda, though it didn't seem like there was anything for her to gain. Still she knew the Yautja well enough to know they looked out for themselves first. The aliens prided themselves on being honest, but she knew how deceptive they were.

Regardless of what Dafena's motives were, Ashlynn still had a bad feeling about the whole situation. She wasn't sure if it was just her constant anxiety, but she had a sort of trapped feeling. All of her options were a risk, and none of them felt right nor made sense. Really nothing in her life had really made very much sense after she had been taken from Earth.

She had other problems to worry about besides Dafena's plans though. Namely, the bruises that were left on her neck and shoulder from the Yautja's heavy hand. When Aku'ly-de's sister had confronted her, she had known subconsciously that she would bruise. But at the time they were given to her, she had been more concerned about the possibility of being murdered by a giant alien.

She stared at the marks, knowing they would be visible if Aku'ly-de looked hard enough. Even if he didn't, she had her doubts that they would miss his notice. The bruises were just beginning to show up, they were still faint but with Ashlynn's skin being so pale they were very visible.

She bit her lip, as she eyed the bruises worriedly. Aku'ly-de knew what her bruises looked like, and he'd confront her about them. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down, already she could feel panic taking over. He'd assume the worse if he saw them, and that would only cause more trouble for everyone involved.

In retrospect, things could have been much worse from the beginning. She had never thought of getting a bruise as being lucky. But from an angry Yautja she was fortunate to get away without a broken bone. Still, what she worried about was Aku'ly-de's questioning, because she had little doubt that if he saw her he'd notice.

Ashlynn knew he would do more than just question, he would have an all out tantrum. No Yautja who had harmed her in any way since he'd known her, had gotten away without a broken mandible. She could very well keep ignoring him, but he'd recognise his sibling's scent. There was really no hiding her recent visit, even if he hadn't expected it. He probably expected Dafena to change her mind, and he would question.

Ashlynn didn't have much clothing, and none of them would hide the bruises at all. The marks on her were so visible with the light clothes she had. She would attempt to hide the bruises, but her tank tops were not at all suitable. The marks were distinct fingerprints on her neck, and bruises from the metal walls were left on her back.

Ashlynn panicked when she heard the door open. She hurriedly threw on the oversized shirt she had found and she struggled to close her drawer quickly. With all the unfolded clothes thrown in it, the drawer refused to close all the way. She heard Aku'ly-de walk to his bathroom, so Ashlynn took her chances and ran to her cot.

Dafena had ignored her messages requesting ointment. She had never seen anything resembling a bruise on them, she assumed the Yautja didn't get them. But since Aku'ly-de's sister was a healer so asking for some sort of creme had been worth a shot. Unfortunately the female never answered the messages Ashlynn sent on her wrist computer.

She liked orderly clothes, but after looking for ten minutes without any luck, she began to tear through her dresser. By the time she had not been paying any attention to the time when she heard him enter. She hadn't expected him to be back so soon, and she had been caught off guard.

The shirt she'd found was one she didn't even know she had. She was shocked to find it in her possession however, as she'd rarely seen Yautja wearing anything similar to a t-shirt but that's what it looked like to her. An oversized t-shirt made with some thin and unidentifiable material fit for a Yautja. Ashlynn could tell by looking at the beads and patterns woven into the shirt that it was made for a female. She frowned.

Even though she had just thrown on the large shirt, Ashlynn was already sweating more than usual. It was relatively thin, but still too hot for the ship's temperature. Ashlynn's nervousness did nothing but make matters worse. Despite being too warm and sweaty already, she covered up with the thin pelt she used as a cover.

After a few minutes Ashlynn heard the light sound of Aku'ly-de's footsteps. She stilled, holding her breath and she listened as he approached. He walked slowly, his movements sounding a little more cautious. He was treading lightly, surveying her. She didn't turn around to look at him, but all she could feel was his stares.

He began to take off his armor and place it in its proper place. She didn't need to see him to know what he was doing. Everything he did in the evening was out of habit, everyday was the same schedule and routine. She could barely see him out of the corner of her eye, but she heard the light clangs of metal on metal. She could also smell the strong scent of the solution he used to polish his armor.

He grew silent after putting away his armor and equipment. She couldn't hear footsteps, but she heard the slight creak of metal and a sigh. Ashlynn bit her lip and waited for him to say something. He remained silent, the only sound she heard was a light beeping sound. She turned to look at him, and found him staring at his wrist gauntlet. She sighed and wrapped herself up under the blanket even tighter, closing her eyes.

She was usually fast asleep, and when she slept she was a deep sleeper. DesIpite being uneasy, she found herself on the edge of consciousness when she felt Aku'ly-de nudge her with his foot. Still half asleep, Ashlynn groaned as she pushed his foot away. She drifted in and out of consciousness but she jumped up when he applied too much pressure to her leg.

"Hey stop! That hurts!" She rolled over and glared at him with tired eyes.

"See, you're not asleep." Aku'ly-de crossed his arms with a snort.

"I was!"

"Well, we need to talk, so please get up."

Ashlynn gave him an annoyed look, rubbing her eyes. "No, say what you have to say and leave me alone."

Aku'ly-de growled in warning, but Ashlynn just ignored him. She rolled her eyes and pulled the cover over her head. She was hot underneath the pelt but she didn't care. She was going to do just what Dafena wanted, though her Yautja was set on getting what he wanted. He didn't hesitate to yank the pelt off of her.

Ashlynn gasped and tried to pull it back to her. She grappled with the Yautja for the blanket, glaring angrily at him. She banged her first against the metal floor, and released the blanket. It was of no use to wrestle with him, she was not even close to being as strong as he was. Aku'ly-de trilled his amusement, red eyes gleaming.

Ashlynn gritted her teeth, an irritated sound coming from her when she gave up. She flopped down on her little cot, hands over her eyes. She was breathing heavily, she didn't even notice Aku'ly-de's silence.

"Can you please just give me some peace an-"

"Ashlynn…" he stared at her.

She put down her arms and looked at him in confusion. She remembered with a gasp her bruises. Ashlynn quickly put her arms over the visible marks on her neck.

"Let me see them." He ordered sharply.

Ashlynn disobeyed his commanding tone and stayed on the floor. His eyes were quickly becoming frenzied and wild with anger. Aku'ly-de's eyes were ruby red, so when he was angry they looked almost evil. She wasn't scared of him, but she felt uneased by the look in his eyes.

"They're nothing."

"Let. Me. See. Them." He insisted, beckoning to her with his hand. He stood rigid and waited for her to comply.

Ashlynn looked him up and down, taking in his angry posture. Even though his mandibles weren't flared, they were still stiff. His entire body was stiff, angry but trying to contain it. His expression hardened each time her eyes met his.

When she didn't make a move, he walked over and scooped her off the floor. Ashlynn beat her fists over his chest in protest, but Aku'ly-de ignored her thrashing. He sat her on the foot of his bed, and pushed away her flailing arms. She pushed lightly at his chest when he crouched down in front of her.

He caught her hand gently, while he examined the marks on her neck. His spiky brows were furrowed, but otherwise he didn't give away his mood in his body language. He had begun to relax, but his eyes still looked downright demented. Ashlynn stopped struggling and instead stared at a wall in a panic. While he studied the bruising, he seemed oblivious to her turmoil.

"Who did this to you?" He asked in a dangerously calm voice. His eyes met hers.

"Nobody."

"Ashlynn!" He growled low in his throat. "Answer me, who in Paya's name did this to you? Another male?"

"No!"

He sat up with a growl and began to pace back and forth in front of her. She knew he didn't hear any of her protests, he kept his eyes on the floor as a furious growl ripped from his throat. Ashlynn covered her face with a hand, sighing loud enough for him to notice.

"I told you this would happen!" He snarled. "Now tell me who did it so I can take his skull!"

Ashlynn looked up at him and stared for a moment. She didn't want to continue to argue, he'd already seen them. There was no point.

"It wasn't a male!" She said, throwing up her hands. "It was your sister!"

Aku'ly-de stopped his pacing, he turned to Ashlynn. "What!?"

She sighed. "Dafena confronted me and she was being to rough an-"

Aku'ly-de marched forward and grabbed Ashlynn's hand. "Why did she do that Ashlynn!?"

Ashlynn grunted, pushing at his strong grip lightly. He still didn't let go, so she began to struggle. "You the one who asked her to come, aren't you?"

He straightened with a growl, glowering down at her. Aku'ly-de paused for only a moment before he pulled her up by her arm and walked towards the door. Ashlynn quickly got on her feet, attempting to tug her arm away from his strong grip.

Aku'ly-de left his quarters and walked angrily into the hallway. It was nearing the sleep cycle, and warriors were returning to their rooms. Her hunter was unbothered by the small crowd of warriors. While Ashlynn tried to ignore the hunters when she caught them watching curiously.