Lion Head Mesa (ap) serpent

after partyyyy

ramesses descended the stone dais with a proud and straight step.
for the remainder of the night he would only entertain, but he would not be entertained.
the fellahin must forgo their pharaoh in the hours to come. 
his mind fixed to the singular event that must come after. his lazuli eyes roamed and missed little as he came down from his pedestal, locking curiously toward the strangers he did not know.

alongside pharaoh.
all eyes were on them together;
the fellahin stealing glances.
the mazoi bowing.
the guests, murmuring, or drinking, as they fell in to celebrate.

and she, like her husband
(husband! her heart hammered!)
watchful of the faces around them.

with the red mutt thrown out of akashingo, ramesses welcomed the glow of fermentation now spreading inside his belly. he had gone back to his dais to rest for a moment.
satsu joined him. her eyes were upon the gathered. pharaoh did not inform her that the raven from brecheliant would be staying with them that evening. she would only think ill of him for it.
the caldera-dweller, @Ruenna; ramesses had finally caught sight of her once he had come and gone from his plinth once more. and it was in this direct path that the pharaoh walked now, his lapis eyes gone hazed and pleasant beneath his own imbibement. the queen was with him.
ramesses advanced.

It seemed to Ruenna a small miracle that Reyes had backed down and departed of his own volition; would any in attendance even believe her if she tried to assert that this Reyes they saw tonight was the reformed version? The peaceable way of life in Brecheliant must have done him some good. Teya must have done him some good, Ruenna thought, though she would certainly never voice as much to Towhee. 

Ruenna had taken advantage of the temporary lull in activity, circling the refreshments and partaking a little more in the fermented fruits. Much to her surprise, the pain in her back had abated; she felt light enough to dance!

She smiled as the newlyweds approached. "Pharaoh, Queen. You have my heartfelt congratulations! Redhawk Caldera celebrates with you. I'm Ruenna Redfern." She dipped her head respectfully. For once, Ruenna wasn't overly worried about using the correct titles, or bowing the correct way, or offending someone somehow. She really couldn't blow it more than Reyes had, could she? 

When the groom and his bride sifted through the wedding gifts later, they would find a hide packed with both fresh and dried meats (some of the choicer organs included), medicinal herbs, and several luxurious mink furs that Ruenna hoped might line a den for little the princes and princesses to come. Tucked in the folds would be the crimson tail feather of a red-tailed hawk, identifying the giver of the gift.

there was a moment of separation. ramesses had gone to wade through the many faces and when he stopped, satsu took the time to breathe, to relax. she plucked some berries and burst them on her tongue.

when next she heard ramesses voice it was to shout. he declared that someone be sent away, which earned a look from satsu; she watched the guards move to usher someone red-coated to the door.

he returned and seemed placated. satsu sighed and nosed softly through his fur, checking in, wordless and concerned. he continued the procession and so she followed at his side, his equal.

someone new approached. they spoke the appropriate titles; an introduction followed, and satsu smiled. this woman had a restrained air about her, which reminded satsu of germanicus, except more elegant and softer, somehow.

welcome, lady redfern. satsu murmured. she found her cheeks were warm from the berries and her words flowed with more ease, which was a blessing given how typically uptight she could be.

the woman's voice was measured and her eyes knowing.
satsu's own tones were soft, but ramesses could see the brightness riding her cheekbones.
"akashingo welcomes you, ruenna redfern." pharaoh sat down. jawahir wended close and offered him berries from a sweetened mouth. he sighed a restrained pleasure, pulling himself away from the hebsut and back to his guest and his queen. surely the jewel might understand that politicking was best done while drunk.
the fresh infusion made him talkative. he thrilled to think of how he had emasculated and banished the red wolf. satsu felt as though she was beginning to catch fire to his skin.
"the roman is fond of you," pharaoh commented directly. his lazuli eyes rested upon ruenna's pretty face. "germanicus does not have friends."
he had not seen them go off together. ramesses had only witnessed their return, and found it amusing. he smiled now, seeking and pressing to see if there were thorns beneath that soft coat. satsu would make the proper accompaniment to his circling of ruenna, and currently ramesses wished for her silence.
the black-painted eyes were not warm despite the smile upon his lips.
"there are two sovereigns at redhawk caldera but only one has arrived. were i a weaker man, i might feel slighted." a gentle laugh. a test. the berries sparked him onward. "i hope that you will stay through the night with queen satsu and i." he looked at his new wife. "and the fellahin will attend your every whim."

Ruenna's soft gaze found the first speaker, Queen Satsu. Her beauty was deeply haunting, augmented by the musicality of her murmur and the flush in her cheeks. Ruenna smiled. She meant to deliver a compliment to Satsu, but then Ramesses spoke up, commanding attention with every measured word he uttered. 

The roman? ..Who? Ah. Ramesses spoke of Germanicus. "He has a friend in me." Ruenna tilted her head as she spoke, her expression polite but quizzical. Why would Ramesses purport Germanicus to be friendless? What else would the Pharaoh consider Crowfeather, if not a friend to Germanicus? 

Was the deeper connection between the pair more commonly known here than Germanicus had indicated? If Crowfeather was not thought of by the Akashingoans as a friend to Germanicus, was he thought of as more than a friend? Ruenna felt embarrassment rising in her cheeks, thinking of how boldly she had spoken of her desires to the aspiring outpost commander. Had anyone overheard? ..Did they laugh at her behind her back? If the intention behind Ramesses's comment was to disquiet her, it had worked. 

Ruenna sensed the deliberate undertones Ramesses's words as he spoke of the missing Sovereign. "Towhee sends her deepest regrets," Ruenna assured him. She offered neither excuses nor apologies for her missing co-Sovereign, knowing either would only invite more commentary. Ramesses may rule as a god within the border of the mesa, but with one step outside his claim, his standing as a leader of his people was equal to Towhee's. It was equal to Ruenna's too, for that matter. 

"I would be delighted to stay the night, if it pleases you and your lovely bride. And yes, the fellahin have been quite attentive. What you have established here..." Ruenna shook her head in disbelief, words failing her momentarily. "Forgive me, I'm much affected by the grandeur. I'm truly in awe." Akashingo was not remotely like anything Ruenna had ever seen in the Teekons Wilds.

the woman looked old enough to be a mother. her mother, maybe. satsu wondered about the land where they came from, where they ruled, what their people were like and —

ramesses was talking. his voice culled any other thoughts from satsu's mind in the moment, as she was warm from the nuptuals and buzzing from the few berries she had allowed herself to eat.

the bride and groom exchanged a look; then this too was ended by ruenna's voice, and satsu looked warmly to her, growing prideful the more the woman spoke kindly of akashingo.

perhaps at another time you can bring your - sovereign, was it? - and we shall dine, and learn of one another. satsu hoped that the offer would be heeded. the wedding aside, perhaps a calmer environment would be suitable for the other leader.

she looked to her husband again, as if ruenna was not there at all.

the wine sparkled in his veins and in his eyes.
he listened to the way that the redhawk ambassador said the roman's name, and chose to read into it what he wished. or rather, a concept he though preposterous for a man who had arrived with a ganymede of a little medic.
his people frowned upon very little. but men like that did not have friendships with women, ramesses believed, for how could a woman provide what they wished?
perhaps she saw it herself in the stoic roman cur.
ramesses smiled pleasantly at ruenna's praise. "your flattery may affect my humble nature, lady redfern." a small amused snort cleared his nostrils as his brow quirked then smoothed.
"i named germanicus chief royal tactician. and i have set him as our neb. he is a respected nobleman with all the privileges over the fellahin and indeed, the guards if he wished. but he does not wish it," pharaoh gossiped on, pausing to take more proffered berries, "indeed; he desires to live like a wild man in the mountains. you will understand now why i questioned his possession of so elegant a companion."
ramesses grinned the polite, mean smile of a practiced court-attendee. "i agree with the queen. we will not be so boisterous then. or perhaps Sobekneferu and i might come to the caldera. with a guard, of course."
ramesses, maneuvering satsu around now: you will be addressed by a series of titles and no longer your name.
she was queen.
pharaoh's second gambit. he glanced between them both and sighed with a malicious pleasure, turning his eyes back toward the throng.

His humble nature? Under the influence of the berries, Ruenna nearly laughed out loud. Thankfully, her ambassador's instincts interfered, so all that would show upon her features was a merry dancing in her eyes. 

Ruenna tilted her head as Ramesses spoke, eager to learn more of Germanicus. Much had been left up to he imagination as to what exact privileges were indicated, but Ruenna imagined she could guess. It was interesting, but not wholly surprising, that Germanicus turned away from these privileges. It reaffirmed Ruenna's impression of the man and his character.  

She would emit a polite laugh as Ramesses contrasted Germanicus's wild nature with her own elegant one, but only because the Pharoah was clearly making an attempt at both humor and a compliment. "There was a time that I lived in these mountains as a wild thing myself," Ruenna mentioned, amusement again sparking in her eyes. Perhaps the royal couple would not believe it, looking upon the aged, maimed schoolmarm she had become.

"Towhee and I would be deeply honored to host you and your queen," Ruenna confirmed, glancing to Satsu. Or.. what was her name now? It had not escaped Ruenna's notice that not only did Ramessess seem to hear a scant one out of every five words she spoke, he also changed her name and twisted the meaning of her phrases to suit his fancy. Rue's heart went out to this poor woman, who seemed so starry-eyed for a narcissistic man who could never love her as much as he loved himself. 

Shouting drew the attention of the little group, and Ruenna recognized it as Reyes's drunken slur. Her heart sank. Why couldn't he have just stayed out...?

this can be the last from Rue, if you want to fade it into the Reyes beating thread.

Voices called out, and Satsu was distracted from the conversation with Ruenna. She heard little bits from either side: the willingness to have a meeting, the viper-like response from Ramesses with his promise of civility; but where was the civility now, as the party began to devolve?

A knot of worry twisted Satsu's features as the red-coat man came and did his bellowing, and she shrank back from it all, but shot Ramesses a sharp look also, as the chaos built.

He was away, then. Striding towards the man and surrounded by the mazoi. Satsu moved in after, cautious, curious, and a little bit drunk, while Ruenna was whisked away by a shadow.