"ruenna is retiring from her duties." he sat with
@Towhee in the forum.
his face perhaps evinced more than usual.
"i am uncertain how to handle the plebian ranks alone." he had seen her sparring and expected she would take up
praefectus again. aquene was leaving, or she would be his first choice.
it felt a decision best counciled and that was why he had brought it to towhee.
She didn’t react to the Imperator’s words beyond a small tip of her head to acknowledge the statement. It wasn’t news to Towhee. She had spent enough time with Ruenna recently to see the writing on the wall. But she was bittersweetly glad that Germanicus brought it up now, seeking her counsel. She had missed this, these past two months.
You could appoint someone else to take that role,
she said, frowning a little at the idea of referring to anyone but Rue by the title of Matrona, or you could encourage the Plebians to relocate to the new outpost and leave the canyon to the soldiers.
But that was a lot easier said than done, especially with mixed pairings and children in the equation. Her orange eyes sought his gaze briefly, understanding that it might take a good deal of brainstorming between the two of them to land on the solution that made the most sense for Mereo.
the position ruenna held was suited for her as his wife. he could fathom no one else there, and certainly not at the helm beside him. the idea of appointing someone else was distasteful, though if aquene stayed then he would consider it.
the imperator favoured towhee's second suggestion. it fit his original vision far better. "perhaps it would be best to put it to a vote, as it were. those who are plebians might become soldiers. and i will give the opportunity to step down to any ranking military."
he wondered how tamar and arsenio would fare with an influx of members, but he was committed to their abilities.
germanicus sighed, cutting it off with a clearing of his throat.
Although he demonstrated a clear preference for her latter suggestion by pursuing it, Towhee’s mind couldn’t help but wrestle with the former one a bit more. She remained silent as she considered his latest words, making a mental checklist of civilians and soldiers by rote. How many would they lose to the outpost if they pursued this course?
That naturally made her think of those already lost to the cause. A flashbulb went off in Towhee’s brain, her orange eyes suddenly sharpening on the Imperator’s face as she shifted her weight.
Or,
she proposed, we ask that Aquene stays to assume the role of Matrona, though I’d suggest she pick a different title. I know she and Kallik plan to move to the outpost, but the situation has changed enough that maybe it could—should—be reconsidered,
and Towhee selfishly hoped it would be.
germanicus was quiet. "we are of the same mind. however, aquene and kallik now report to arsenio, who chose them for the outpost. it might require a larger talk after —"
the eagle paused again. the changes of mereo went harshly for him. he had not expected such shifts and struggled with them though he would not admit it.
"i must announce this. it will give aquene time to decide. she understands she is next in line for the position, but if she and kallik mean to leave, that is how it must be."
Her brow furrowed when he admitted he was of the same mind, only to cut himself off midsentence. Towhee’s head cocked and she gave him a look, prompting him to finish his thought.
Instead, he spoke of making an announcement and leaving it up to the pair. Of course, it should be up to them, not Arsenio, Germanicus or even herself. Towhee wondered if Aquene would give it the real consideration it deserved, or if she would dismiss it in favor of her commitment to the outpost.
She licked her lips and found her eyes catching on the Imperator’s face again. She could see strain there and realized she hadn’t considered the toll this might take on him personally. Yes, there was the matter of filling in Ruenna’s shoes, but…
It’s going to be an adjustment, but at least Rue’s okay. She’s not going anywhere. She’ll still be around to advise and, well… she’ll always be at the heart of Mereo,
Towhee said softly, reassuring herself as much as Germanicus.
germanicus saw that towhee meant to be reassuring. and she was correct, after all. he nodded. ruenna's presence and effect did not end with the surrender of her rank. "little alivia stays close to her. her mother has a great deal to teach."
the eagle was a man of symbols and hierarchy. he and ruenna had built mereo together. he felt lopsided without her occupying the same place she had kept since the beginning.
and there was the matter of crowfeather, who was a subject that germanicus meant to keep unaddressed and unsaid unless he was alone.
he cleared his throat. "glaukos returned from his tour in akashingo. he is eligible now for a higher rank, perhaps military leadership with you and i." if mereo was a place of soldiers, he meant it to be seen. "he brings news that the pharoh intends to send one of his daughters here for a time."
businesslike tones had reentered his voice. it was how he dealt.
She hadn’t given Akashingo a single thought recently, though his mention abruptly made her wonder if Germanicus had ever gotten to the bottom of their little murder mystery. And, as always, thinking about that made her wonder just why they were still tied together with that pack these days.
Despite her suggestion only moments ago, Towhee found herself saying, This is a time of change. Maybe we should take this opportunity to revisit the pack’s roots.
She drew in a breath, then continued, Well, that came out more cryptic than I intended. What I meant is that I think there’s so much merit to maintaining a pack of soldiers, though maybe we don’t even need all this fancy hierarchical sh—stuff? And what’s the deal with Akashingo? Not that I’m opposed to this visit, but… why?
She licked her lips again, then caught his eye and shrugged. It wasn’t meant as a dismissive gesture, more of an acknowledgement that she was suddenly talking out of her ass. And of course it was Germanicus’s prerogative to take it or leave it when it came to Towhee’s opinions.
towhee was not a terribly formal individual and germanicus was indeed the paragon of that. some time ago her laxity might have annoyed him, but these days he had come to appreciate her balance in qualities.
"glaukos was a suspected man and barely more than a prisoner when i took him into mereo. he now stands to be a promising officer and his work toward that aim could not have been completed without the hierarchy."
getting back to one's roots seemed to mean different things to each of them. "i am now not so certain i wish to return to my own original vision for mereo. the plebians have made us a community."
and yet there was intrigue in the idea of only dealing with battle and with shaping soldiers.
"it is part of our alliance with them. our troops serve for a month in ramesses' palace and he sends his children here to learn from our skilled." the relationship was tense but not contemptuous, so long as pharaoh did not seek an advantage.
He’d misunderstood her a bit, though to be fair Towhee was a bit all over the place today. She knew she needed to backtrack and make a little more sense of her thoughts and how she put them into words.
I agree about Glaukos, he deserves a high station,
she answered, and you’re right, the Plebians have their place here, despite what I sad. I guess what I mean is that this pack’s rank system could stand to be reevaluated, now that we see the impact of someone like Rue stepping down. That whole system depended entirely on a single individual and without her, it’s kind of falling apart.
Was it really, though? The more she talked through it, the more Towhee realized, I think I’m too personally invested. Maybe you are too. That title, Matrona, and its role, should be able to be filled by any eligible candidate. It shouldn’t belong to Rue, much as I find it hard to picture anyone else in it. Maybe all we need to do is step back and acknowledge that, in which case Aquene is still a great candidate, but any of the Plebians should also be considered in her stead.
Towhee exhaled. She wasn’t sure if she was making sense and she sort of felt like she was talking herself in circles, because now they were right back where they started. She supposed that was the purpose of a consultation though: they could hash it out, repeatedly if necessary.
The more I think about it, the more I think things are fine as they are and we just need to depersonalize the Matrona’s rank. We have so many great wolves here, surely someone can step into that role and we can carry on like usual, including promoting Glaukos and, uh, hosting this visitor.
germanicus was grateful for towhee's willingness to explain.
he listened quietly and nodded once at the end.
"aquene currently holds the rank of equestrian: that is, she has achieved a trade in both medicine and fighting. i would be more apt to consider that role to lead the plebians, as it were."
the idea of ruenna being the first and last to hold this rank was beginning to appeal. only she was fit to hold matrona. there were no others he felt encapsulated the word.
de-personalize. he liked the sound of that. "i would consider any commoner who was actively working toward a trade and subsequently a specialization for the role of equestrian." he looked toward towhee, wondering if they were once more aligned in this thinking.
"i have rank considerations for new officers, if you would hear them."
He met her in the middle, proposing they retire the Matrona’s title in favor of Equestrian filling the role instead. Towhee drew in a breath, nodding. It made sense and achieved the same purpose. It was such a simple solution, in stark contrast to her mental meandering and verbal diarrhea. Ah, well, they’d gotten there in the end.
I mean, I can’t hear them…
she quipped in reply to Germanicus’s entreaty about officers. Hit me,
she added only slightly more seriously.
he gave a wry smile toward towhee's humour.
"before i begin, i must say this will involve many rank names you may not have heard. i will tell you their meanings, but their base definition is that they work upwards in specialization."
he was silent for a moment, allowing towhee to digest that. and then he went on. "reyson is interested in becoming our messenger. he travels often and hunts well besides. he has made contact with others and has brought me a brief report. i would like to move him to scutarius and maxim to tribunus, just above."
"i would like to see more movement and training between tierra, killdeer, and katniss. they are our youngest. killdeer has traveled but tierra keeps up her spars. therefore i also believe she is eligible to move to scutarius with reyson, unless you have a differing opinion. i think that the three of them — killdeer, tierra, and katniss — might be suited now for an unhelmed mission, perhaps to scout east of us."
"as you know glaukos is eligible now to become elitus and that is above praefectus. you yourself have the same eligibility for pilus, which is a leadership rank."
here germanicus was quiet again. he had said much, though all in the name of business.
By the time Germanicus made it through his breakdown, Towhee’s eyeballs ached. She didn’t comment on this, though she let them slip shut for a few moments as she process his words and sorted through her thoughts on the matter.
Reopening them, she said simply, I concur, up to and including promoting Glaukos if that’s what you want to do.
Towhee paused, trying to remember… wasn’t there a catch when it came to leadership? When she couldn’t recall it, she asked outright, What would Pilus entail?
"i have never had a pilus before."
"you would be my equivalent though i would trust you to bring large decisions for council such as this. i also wish to begin implementing missions outside mereo, perhaps a series of brief sessions to gather information about the land and inhabitants before larger tasks are directed."
he mused. "outside of those things, the rank would be yours to shape as you see fit."
She didn’t think she was particularly interested. Towhee rather enjoyed her role and title as the pack’s “prefect.” But when Germanicus described it—and indicated she could shape the role a bit—Towhee was intrigued.
Won’t that just create a situation like Rue and Matrona?
she couldn’t help but point out with a twitch of her lips. Otherwise, that sounds like something I wouldn’t mind doing, if you want me in that role, Imperator.
She hadn’t held a leadership rank in quite some time now, nor did she care all that much about where she stood in the chain of command. But Towhee would embrace the opportunity to pitch in more around here, especially now that her energy was returning in full force.
She idly wondered if Glaukos would end up in leadership too, which suddenly jogged her memory and led her to blurt, But if it requires me going to Akashingo, I’ll have to decline and remain your Praefectus.
he was about to assure towhee of his choice in her when she spoke against the final requirement for leadership.
germanicus was silent for a moment. refusal of a promotion was strange to him. but then again, the praefectus had never taken into considerations her rank first. she had achieved mastery in several regards.
"a tour in the palace is a necessity for elevation," he said quietly. it would be unfair to promote her when he had left glaukos in akashingo for a month's time.
he was disappointed. but the imperator did not allow this to show upon his face. "mereo has a strong praefectus in you." his eyes were briefly warm with acceptance of her choice.
She drew in a breath when he confirmed this caveat. Despite herself, she was disappointed to hear Germanicus verify this. Although she didn’t put much stock in her rank these days, Towhee tilted her head as she found herself questioning this requirement.
Why is that necessary?
she wanted to know, to understand.
"part of ascension to leadership involves tactical training. i need to know that a soldier beyond mereo can function in an environment they would not otherwise like, that they can fulfill orders regardless of obstacle, and that they can comport themselves properly beyond my eye for an extended period of time."
germanicus saw no other way. akashingo was the ultimate sort of honing-ground to polish the soldiers.
Towhee couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at his explanation, though only mentally. She had hit some sort of glass ceiling despite her history and masteries, which was a bit frustrating on principle. But this was his pack and if that’s how he wanted to rule it, then Towhee would just have to live with it.
But he often sought her counsel, so she didn’t hold back from jesting, Maybe that should go the way of the Matrona rank.
She paused, then a bit more sincerely added, Or you could tailor the requirement to suit your individual candidate. For instance, there’s no way I’d leave my kids for a month anytime soon… y’know, the future soldiers I’ve provided to Mereo?
But with that said, It doesn’t really matter though. I think I’ve more than proven that my title has little bearing on my contributions to this pack.
She’d worn the title of Plebian for months without complaint, not even nudging Ruenna about making her an Equestrian or something. Mereo has 110% of my dedication either way.
there had been many times where germanicus did not understand towhee. this was one of those moments.
objectively, towhee had rejected his offer of leadership based on a requirement he set but now sought to move him away from the rule all together. she even made mention of her children as if she suspected him of putting young cubs into the palace.
surely he had missed something. otherwise its implication was meaner than it sounded. the imperator considered a bit of a pushback, pointing out that towhee's own family in phox and killdeer had gone to akashingo without a word against it.
"i would not send my own so young," the eagle said, keeping to his original tone. enforcing the hierarchy was necessary. why did she believe she could change policy after rejecting leadership? he respected her experience as sovereign enough to wonder.
perhaps he was only reactive. there were many things occuring, not the least of which involved him directly. he felt overbalanced and overwhelmed. towhee's assistance would have been invaluable. germanicus was simply unwilling to alienate the soldiers who had come before the praefectus, even with her masteries.
"i am thankful for your dedication and constructive criticism," the tactician said. "it is good to hear an objective report of mereo's structure. between your review and lady ruenna's updates about the plebians, i consider many things very often." it was vague. he meant it to be so.
Huh?
she blurted stupidly at his remark about sending young. Towhee didn’t get a chance to parse his meaning until after his closing comments, which she only barely processed with a pressing need to clarify her own statement.
I meant that I could not leave my children here without me anytime soon,
she amended. What did you think I meant?
germanicus blinked. "i thought you meant to say you would not send them to akashingo on their tours so young."
he blew breath through his nostrils and looked wryly toward towhee. "i misunderstood." he could point out his lack of sleep or general stress but none of that mattered. only the clarification.
She blinked at his explanation. Towhee very nearly burst into laughter at the absurdity of that. Did Germanicus really think she would say such a thing? Do such a thing? She wasn’t offended, she was greatly entertained. But she bit her lip, hard, against the urge, as the Imperator apologized.
It happens,
she replied lightly, eyes probably giving away some of her mirth. But no, that’s not at all what I meant. Even if I was open to the idea of a tour, it’s impossible for me to do that because of my kids,
and that seemed pretty unfair, even punitive.
But that was sort of like her temporary demotion, she supposed. And Jack and Leo were absolutely worth it, no questions asked. Towhee knew it was just the way of things in Mereo and didn’t seek to press it further. If Germanicus wanted to give what she’d said some consideration, then that was entirely up to him.
Sensing that he was ready to conclude their conversation and depart, Towhee shifted and began to turn away, joking in passing under her breath, Maybe since I can’t lead the soldiers because of my kids, I should become the Matrona…
ah. germanicus rolled his shoulders. "i would not expect you to take up a tour or leadership before you and subsequently your children were ready."
he supposed he had not calculated that at all. it was another reason that women had been dissuaded from battle; their reentry was also difficult.
he did not think himself uncharitable for he was merely remembering. mereo thrived with many warriors. sex was no longer an obstacle.
his yellow eyes came to rest upon her. "i am not opposed. i mean to speak with lady aquene either way, but if you are truly contemplating the role, know that it is more than acceptable to me."